


Isn't it lovely? All alone...

by Aphroditedany



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Bran bashing, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fire Magic, Firebending & Firebenders, Heavy Angst, Sansa bashing, Secret Children, Stark bashing, Targaryen Babies, not stark friendly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-25 18:11:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20375938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aphroditedany/pseuds/Aphroditedany
Summary: The Lord of the Light saves Daenerys just in time after she draws her final breath and brings her back to her time in Meereen. Knowing how Westeros treated her and resentful about the Starks, Daenerys decides to show them another face of the dragon she is. Even if that means turning her heart to stone and hiding her daughter's identity from her father.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is Jonerys endgame, although it won't be easy, I warn you. If you like the Starks, then this story is not for you.

_Pain. Pain. Endless pain. _

_Blood, her blood spilled on the ground full of ashes beneath her. _

_Her - she doesn't even know what he is to her anymore -... lover, crying over her dead body. _

_More people crying, as her soul is traveling out of her body. Sobbing for their beloved ones. The ones she burnt. _

_Shame. More pain. _

_I am sorry. I am so sorry. I didn't want it. Not really. _

_Queen of ashes, Mother of monsters..._

_No, no... That's not who I wanted to be... _

And then, just when she is certain she will go to the world of the dead,the black empty world Snow had once described to her, she feels it.

A pull. 

_But... Towards where?_

* * *

* * *

Daenerys wakes up with a gasp, her breaths coming out short and erratic. When she fully opens her eyes, she is facing a ceiling. A ceiling that looks eerily familiar. 

Dragon paintings, battle images... 

_Meereen?! _

She stands up abruptly on her bum, and the world starts spinning. Her palm goes on her heart, where the open wound from the dagger should be. She finds nothing, and this amplifies her panic. 

"Slowly, my Queen. The journey you had was most arduous. You need your strength for the battles to come." 

The voice is not familiar, but it's calming in its own way. When Daenerys turns her head to face the unknown intruder, she finds a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and kind, but clever blue eyes inspecting her with worry and care. She is wearing red robes and a ruby necklace is glowing on her neck. 

A Priestess of the Lord of the Light? 

As if the weird stranger can read her mind, she answers the million questions swimming in her head. "Fear not, my Queen. We may have never had the chance to properly meet during the previous lifetime, but now I am finally free of my duty to our Lord. I am Kinvara, High Priestess of the Lord of the Light." She bows deeply and Daenerys can't help but feel ashamed." Always at your service. "

"My days as Queen have ended. I don't know where I am, but I don't deserve to be called Queen. Whatever you may believe I can offer to you or your God, is probably the best not to seek it."

Kinvara's eyes are gleaming, red swirling inside the blue. She can't help but feel intimidated and... a little hopeful?

" On the contrary, Daenerys Stormborn. The great game has just begun. 

* * *

She almost sobs in relief when Missandei enters the room, alive and well. She hugs her best friend fiercely, battling her tears of pain and despair for the lifetime that has passed. 

When she is absolutely certain she is capable of controlling her emotions, she is sending her away with a strict command to her advisors. She wants nobody to intrude the conversation she will have with Kinvara.

Missandei seems hurt of her Queen's distrust, but Daenerys clenches her hands reassuringly in hers.

"Soon, Missandei. Be patient. I will explain everything later." 

* * *

"I suppose your memories are not the best, Your Grace." 

She only scoffs bitterly. "Not the best? I slaughtered an entire city. Children and women, and the Lannister soldiers who surrendered. And the worst part is that I don't understand why. All I know is that I was lost in pain and revenge. My rage was boiling inside me. I was angry. With Jon, for not loving me and respecting me the way I did. With his traitorous family. With Tyrion, with Varys, with Cersei. With everyone that have wronged my family, with everyone who used me and gave me nothing but disrespect and hatred for me and my people. I wanted... I didn't want to burn King's Landing. " The tears are coming and she makes no effort to stop them." Children, and mothers... Never. Never them."

" I know it, my Queen. I saw everyone who manipulated you, everyone who betrayed you. You felt hopeless, isolated and betrayed from those you trusted and loved the most. Kings and Queens have fallen for less than this. "

" Still. I shouldn't have done what I did."

"Look forward now. The future is not written yet, the ink is not dry. Our Lord brought you back in time for a reason. You were his chosen. You and Jon Snow are his vessels to bring peace and light in the world."

"So we are the Prince and Princess who was Promised? You should know, better than anyone else, that I don't believe in prophecies."

Kinvara gives her a cryptic smile. "Oh, but I think you do believe. You believed that witch when she told you you would remain childless, even if she lied. Besides, I said you and Snow are the Lord's vessels. There is someone else who will become the Chosen." 

"And who is he?" 

"Not he. She." 

Daenerys is losing her patience with the woman's cryptic words. "Fine. Who is she?" 

Kinvara only smiles and puts her palms on her flat stomach. She doesn't understand it at first, but then her eyes widen and her body starts trembling. 

"Our Lord saved you from yourself and your crimes and erased every event from your meeting with Lady Greyjoy up to the burning of Kings Landing. However, his chosen was already growing inside you. The union of Ice and Fire. The Chosen. The Targaryen Queen, the embodiment of fire itself. Do you understand now what I meant by saying that you and your lover are the Lord's vessels? "

She hears what Kinvara says, but she just can't process a single word." The... The witch... "

" The witch was a bitter liar with a limited knowledge of blood magic. She could never make you barren. The Targaryen blood can't be bound and used so easily." 

Daenerys stands up from her chair and walks to the large window that sees to the Bay of Dragons. Her scaly children are all alive and healthy, screeching and playing and chasing fish. But even their sight is not enough to calm the storm and the fire inside her. It's one of these moments that she feels more like a beast than a human. More like a dragon than a woman. 

"Our child..." she hisses and covers her stomach, where she can now clearly feel a small, but firm swelling. "He killed us both. For his pathetic excuse of a sister to have a crown on her head and a kingdom at her feet. For his Lannister friend. For his little sister, who was trained to become an assassin and slaughtered an entire House because of their father's crimes. _For them. _And he had the audacity to tell me he loved me, and then cry above my dead body. All for them. Nothing for me. Never me. I wanted his love, and his warm embrace, his comfort. All he wanted was my armies and my sons. And then he drove a dagger in my heart as a thank you. "

" He was used as badly as you, my Queen. Don't blame him. For the sake of our survival, you two have to meet again and cooperate in order to save us from the Great Other. I know it's now very difficult for you to overcome your pain and bitterness, but it is essential for our future. "

Kinvara's voice is soothing but does little to calm her down." You said my daughter is the embodiment of fire. What do you mean? "

The priestess smiles." It was the reason Bran Stark wanted you dead from the beginning. Your daughter is special, Your Grace. You have had the ability to withstand fire since you were born. Your child will be able not only to withstand fire, but control and use it as well. In other places in the world, and in old Valyria, it was called bending. The inherent ability to control an element. "

Daenerys gasps in understanding." That's why some of the the first Targaryens were called Fire Lords? "

" Exactly. Their special blood, their bonds with their dragons gave them this unique gift. It was lost somewhen, only to be reborn in a strong woman and a brave man. And I tell you, this was enough to worry many of your enemies. Brandon Stark knew of your pregnancy the moment you set foot in Winterfell. He wanted to wipe you out, and he almost succeeded. Almost. "

" I have no desire to meet any of the Starks again. I will only help them defeat the Night King and I will give them their precious independence. Then, I will rule the rest of Westeros alone. Without a husband. My daughter will be my sole heir. "

" I'm afraid this is not doable. In this lifetime, your path will be intertwined with those of many great men. Some of them will even love you. Die for you. But your heart will always belong to Jon Snow. This time, you have to tell him the truth about his parentage yourself, to make him realize he is a Targaryen, not a Stark. His fate is bound to yours forever. Try all you want, you won't be able to get rid of him. "

" I can. I can and I will."Her voice carries a newfound calmness and determination, a cold calculation of of the her next movements. "You will tell no one of my daughter's parentage. Besides, nobody will believe me now. Everyone must think she is Daario's child. If I succeed in conquering Westeros, I will forge an alliance through marriage. Jon Snow will never learn about my daughter. I don't want him anywhere near to her. Nor his traitorous family. "

Kinvara only sighs." We have lots of work to do, anyway. I will give you an invisible necklace to wear. It will protect you from the Three Eyed Raven. He will never learn your child is from the union of Fire and Ice. I must also help you conquer Westeros before defeating the Night King. You will need much more dragons this time, and you must hatch them soon. "

" What? Hatch them?! "

" Rhaegal and Viserion have laid eggs in the Catacombs of the Pyramid. During their time in chains, they mated. They have laid 10 eggs. "

Daenerys suddenly feels dizzy and falls on a nearby chair, breathless. 10 eggs. 10 new dragons. 

_I will use them properly this time. On my true enemies. _

And Kinvara, with her mysterious, know-it-all smile, looks at her with pride and elation, her blue eyes shining. 

"Dragon Queen. Mother of Dragons. The dragons always knew who you are. Now you know it too." 


	2. Chapter 2

She immensely enjoys the way Tyrion and Varys' faces turn red as tomatoes when she announces her pregnancy in front of all her advisors. Daario's face, however, when she announces she has no intention of marrying him... That is enough to make her week.

"Your Grace! Isn't it enough that you are carrying a child with no royal blood in its veins? Are you intending of making it a bastard? How will you be able to forge alliances through marriage with an illegitimate child?" Poor Tyrion is on the verge of a stroke. His voice has become shrill, echoing in the Throne Room. Daario is ready to protest, too. Varys remains silent, but she can clearly see the gears working endlessly. 

" I suggest you watch your tongue if you want it to stay where it is, Lord Tyrion. If you call my child a bastard again, I will cut your tongue off myself. You forget your position, Lord _Lannister. _And you also forget that my child does not need a proper father to carry royal blood in its veins. I am the daughter of Valyria, of the great Dragon Lords. My child's blood is more royal than any other child's in Westeros. Certainly superior than Cersei and Jamie's bastards, born of incest."

She smirks inwardly, satisfied with herself, when Tyrion deflates and sits down silent, sulking." Besides, I will need every man and every force available to conquer Westeros. Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand may have great military forces in their disposal, but you can never be sure. The Second Sons are trained mercenaries, cunning, fast and precise. We need them. Daario may never become my husband, but he has proved his loyalty in multiple occasions. I don't intend to leave him behind. Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen will be guarded by other forces loyal to me. When the Second Sons fulfill their duty in Westeros, they may return. But it is very early to discuss such matters."

Tyrion only sighs and nods his agreement."You can't deny that your child will be still a problem for an advantageous marriage. How will a Lord ever accept a child that is not his by blood?"

"Trust me on this. When they hear my offers, they will have no other choice but to agree. A shining crown and a fancy title are more than enough to convince even the greediest man, don't you think?"

Judging by the faint smile on his lips, he doesn't find it a terrible idea. 

* * *

After the tiring meeting, everyone retreats in their chambers. Strategies have been carefully made, along with significant changes to her initial plans. Her biggest mistake was to listen her male advisors. That was the beginning of her downfall. That, and falling in love with someone who never deserved it.

_I will never make these mistakes again. _

Olenna and Ellaria have been given clear orders about their regions. Highgarden will be emptied of food, grains, money, jewel and gold, practically of anything precious. Olenna will also stay in Sunspear, to avoid the Lannisters who will certainly come. Cersei will have no resources to feed the population, and no gold to pay the Iron Bank or the Golden Company. 

Their combined navy forces will head to Kings Landing. The Dornish, Tyrell and Greyjoy forces will surrender the capital, whereas some of her Unsullied and Dothraki will take the Westerlands, the ancestral seat of the Lannisters. As for the remaining Lannisters, Euron Greyjoy and the male Tarlys... She has some ideas of her own.

But first, she has some dragons to hatch, while Kinvara is working restlessly to make potions for her three grown dragons and the hatchlings. Potions to ensure a rapid growth and enhancement. She has already offered some drops of her blood for said potions.

* * *

"This is not up to discussion, Daario. Don't make me repeat it once more. I have no intentions to marry you. I am well aware of the fact that you aspired to become the next King of Westeros, but this is not going to happen any time soon."

"And who will you marry, then? You know, Tyrion was right. Westeros doesn't treat the illegitimate children the same way Essos does. Which Lord will ever accept to become a father to a child that is not his?"

"The lord who will wear a crown on his head. The Lord who will get exclusive trade privileges with my cities in Essos. If any man is so stupid to refuse my offer, then he is not fit to be King. Let alone my husband."

Daario sighs, visibly irritated. "And what about me? Won't I ever see my child? Do you intend to alienate me from them?"

"Of course not. I am not heartless. You will have the chance to be by their side from the moment they will be born. You are their father and nothing will change that. Ever. But please, understand my position. I have to make alliances, and fast."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Supposing we win the war against Cersei, who else do you have to be afraid of?"

"You forget that the North has declared independence. I have to make strong alliances and leave them no other choice than to agree with my own terms. If Sansa Stark and Jon Snow want their precious crowns so badly, they will have to get through me. They may never bend the knee to me,but I will make them bend the knee to my will."

"You speak as if they will never accept you. How can you know their reaction when they meet you? Who knows, they may even prove themselves useful allies."

She scoffs bitterly. "The Northern Lords? Don't make me laugh. When they hear the name Targaryen, it's usually accompanied with a phrase like _the dragon whore. _Especially the Starks. They trust no one else than those sworn to them. Sansa Stark will be no best. She has been running behind Cersei's skirts and Baelish's robes for too long. What do you expect from such a girl? The girl who sent a false letter to her brother and condemned her father to death, only to ensure she will become Queen? As for Jon Snow, my resources talk of a carbon copy of his late father. Gullible and honorable to a fault. The man is far too attached to his family to see them clearly for what they are."

"Still. There must be something you can gain from the North. Perhaps if you married that Snow? You could be the one to influence him and gradually win the Lords' trust."

The silver dagger with the ruby on its hilt that now remains firmly hidden under her dress comes out in her hand and sits under Daario's throat. He gulps in fear, his eyes widening. Daenerys has never shown him that side of hers. 

_Then again, I hadn't been murdered by my lover. _

"The North has nothing to offer. Their crops have been slowly dying, thanks to the wars. Currently, they must be starving. They have no food and grains saved for the long winter, and sooner or later they will need someone else's help to survive. That is unless the Starks decide they can feed on their pride. The Ironborns have been raiding and pillaging for years, the Boltons destroyed many fields to feed their own armies. Plus, they have nothing else to trade except for furs, ironwood and cattle. Both of us know that the rest of Westeros have plenty of wood, cattle and animals for fur. So, please enlighten me. What do I have to gain? As for Jon Snow... " She presses the dagger even harder on the skin of Daario's neck, her voice growing menacing. She is particularly proud of her skills in combat, and Grey Worm seems very satisfied with her fast progress in training. "... I would rather die than marry him. Every other man is acceptable. Not him. I have no need of a Northern fool who can't see the world for what it is. I have no need of a man loyal only to his blood family. And I certainly have no need of a man who was so fool that he ended up being murdered by his own sworn brothers. Such a man will be dangerous, both for me and my child. Have I made myself clear?"

Daario nods his head frantically.

* * *

Two weeks later, everything is ready for the eggs to be hatched. 

She stands in front of all her allies, at least those who managed to arrive in Meereen in time after her letters. Lady Olenna, Yara and Theon, and a new face. Willas Tyrell, Lady Olenna's second surviving grandson along with his younger brother Garland. Her thin dress, made of red linen, flows around her body with the force of the air and her hair are set loose of their tiresome braids. Her Unsullied and Dothraki are also present, Grey Worm keeping them in line. 

_The Lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep? No, you are a dragon. Be a dragon. _

After she addresses her armies in their own languages, getting their uproarious approval, she changes into the Common Tongue for her allies. Some of them seem intrigued already. 

"My Lords, my Ladies. Today, we begin a long journey. A tiring, harsh journey, full of traps and deception. But these journeys are what separate the brave from the coward. The boys from the men. The girls from the women. For centuries, the wheel that is Westeros has been carrying lots of noble names. Names with no substance. Names of petty, coward people who crash the poor and downtrodden under their tyrannical boots. Targaryens, Lannisters, Baratheons, Arryns, Tullys, Starks. From this day, we will pave the way. The new path, a path made for everyone to walk, from peasants and whores to the noble Lords, Kings and Queens. This path is not easy, though, as I have warned you. Only if we work together as one, only if we stick to our common cause, only then we will be able to forge the new world. A world not built on meaningless bloodshed and corpses , but on prosperity and unity. A world that everyone will be free to join in. Today, we break the wheel. The words of my House are Fire and Blood. The world will see them come to fruition again. And the people will never forget how the dragons, the serpents, the krakens and the roses opened the door to this new world."

Olenna and Ellaria smirk in satisfaction. Yara and Theon smile at her, impressed and intimidated. Daario looks more smug than ever. Tyrion trembles with anticipation, like a little boy waiting for his favorite sweet. Varys looks pleased enough. Willas seems intrigued. And Missandei, her sweet loyal Missandei, stands proudly by her side, the golden brooch of the Hand of the Queen pined right above her left breast for everyone to see. The same brooch Lady Olenna wears. 

Kinvara starts chanting in High Valyrian and flames erupt behind her, in bright red and purple colours. The eggs are safely nested somewhere in the flames. With one last look at her best friend and her allies, she walks into the fire. 

Her three dragons are circling above, feeling the new hatchlings calling them. The flames eat her dress away and caress her skin like a passionate lover.

When she arrives at the center of the fire, she hugs the eggs and waits. Kinvara stops chanting, and her scaly children start raining their own fire on her. 

Crack! Crack! Crack! 

Tears start falling on her cheeks, as she watches in awe her new children coming out of the eggs. Their colours are magnificent, unique. And her daughter inside her is tumbling in excitement, feeling her new brothers and sisters and the flames around her mother. 

The flames she will be able to control some day. 

* * *

Some hours later, Daenerys walks out of the flames, that die instantly the moment she leaves. She is beyond exhausted, but happier than ever. 

On her naked body, ten new dragons are clawing on her skin and hair. Six female, four male. Three red, two dark blue, two purple and three bronze. Their screeches fill the air and her first three children are responding with their own fearsome roars. 

Everyone is looking at her with eyes and mouths wide open, unable to form a single word. The awe and admiration on their faces is almost overwhelming. 

Ellaria is the first to react after some seconds, kneeling and shouting out loud. "Long live Daenerys Stormborn, Queen of Westeros and Essos, Mother of Dragons, Mistress of Fire!" 

"LONG LIVE DAENERYS STORMBORN, QUEEN OF WESTEROS AND ESSOS, MOTHER OF DRAGONS, MISTRESS OF FIRE!" 

And as all of her allies and armies bow before her, Kinvara included, she can't help but feel hopeful. 

_Mistress of fire... I think I like it. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Life is a never-ending miracle. _

Daenerys watches in awe and fascination as all of her children grow and flourish. Her 13 scaly children and the one growing inside her.

Kinvara has done an amazing job with her dragons so far, her potions rapidly increasing their growth, strength, agility and the hardness of their scales. Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion have grown double in size and their skin has become impenetrable and hotter than ever. Her newborn dragons, on the other hand, have almost reached Rhaegal's previous size and strength. The females are way more vicious than the male ones, their fire unforgiving and almost unbearable even for her to withstand.

And her babe, her child of her flesh and blood, the child she once thought impossible to conceive, the child she almost lost by the hands of its own father, grows safely in her womb, happy and warm and healthy. Day by day, the swell becomes a little firmer and expands. She shouldn't be able to feel her at such an early state of the pregnancy, but then again this child is nothing but ordinary.

Kinvara is delighted with her progress, reassuring her worried heart that it's totally normal for a child with such unique gifts. Her daughter is totally safe inside her, she has no reasons to worry, the priestess says. And nothing makes her happier than sitting awake at night, feeling her growing through their bond. 

_She is safe. And I intend her to remain safe. _

* * *

To honor her new alliance with the Tyrells and thank Lady Olenna for the precious advice, she agrees to a future marriage with Willas. The contract was sealed and signed before they left Meereen, in a companionable meeting. The Queen of Thrones was displeased that Daenerys' first child would be from another man, but Willas stood his ground and proceeded nonetheless. 

She hasn't met a kinder man in her life. Except for her loyal bear, of course. He took the news of her pregnancy with grace and dignity and accepted to recognize the child as Daenerys' legal heir. He is studious to a fault, he loves his horses, he is kind to her people, willing to know them and their traditions. He never sneers or looks at them with disgust and fear. They can talk for hours about their lives, about Westeros and Essos, about her dragons, about how he loves the endless rose bushes in Highgarden.

She can't help but break down her walls a little, all due to his kindness and loyalty. It certainly helps that he is a charming man, both in appearance and aura. His messy curly hair has the color of the dark sands of Meereen and his green eyes remind her of emeralds. Willas was shy about his limp leg at first, but she never cared about it and so he stopped caring, too. If anything, this small flaw makes him even more beautiful in her eyes.

And still, despite finding herself liking him more and more, despite being certain she will come to love him one day, his hair is not black, and his eyes are not dark brown. 

_He is not Jon. _

* * *

_Gods... I still love him. _

She doesn't have much time to think of Jon during the day. They have finally arrived in Dragonstone and the attack on Kings Landing and Euron's fleet is just two weeks away. But she can't help herself. Thinking about Jon means remembering Kings Landing, too. 

It would be easier if she really were the heartless monster everyone thought her to be. Alas, the nightmares are coming every night, and she always wakes up screaming and crying. 

_Children... Women... Innocents... Thousands of them... _

She knows that she now has a second chance, she knows that the Lord of the Light saved her and erased her sins to Kings Landing. It happened, though, and she will never forget it. She may manage to forgive herself one day, but she doesn't see this happening any time soon. 

Missandei often comes in her new chambers at night, to offer her comfort and her shoulder to cry on. Her Missandei, her sweet Missandei, whom she almost lost. All for an ugly iron chair and a dagger in the heart. 

That fateful day, when she time travelled and was brought back, she kept her promise and called her dearest friend to explain everything. After Kinvara left her bedroom, she fell in her arms, trembling and crying. 

Her friend listened to her story without a single reprimand or a look of disgust. She let her sob in her embrace as she narrated the Battle for the Dawn. How she lost her Jorah. And then, how everyone abandoned and betrayed her, how she lost Rhaegal and her. How she burnt Kings Landing to the ground. 

_When she finishes her tragic story, she lifts her eyes up and looks at her best friend's face, trying to figure out how she may be feeling. _

_Tears are marring Missandei's beautiful cheeks as she takes Daenerys' hands in hers and clenched them softly. _

_"My queen. How you have suffered." _

_"Maybe they are right, Missandei. Maybe I am a monster. Maybe I should stop now, before I destroy everything again."_

_"No." Her voice is strong and decisive. Dany has never heard her speak with such conviction in the past. "No, you are not a monster. Misguided, used, manipulated, broken, yes you were. But you are not a monster. Tell me... When you told Jon Snow that the other people didn't have a choice, what did you mean?" _

_"I meant that the Lords would have to bend to my will. My intentions were clear from the beginning. My ultimate goal was to make Westeros better for the common people, the poor and helpless and all those who didn't have a voice. He understood something entirely different, I suppose."_

_Missandei nods." He thought you meant to burn everyone else, too. Maybe he was also afraid for his family. He knew that you didn't have the best relationship with his older sister. Perhaps he feared you would kill her if she didn't bend the knee."_

_"I would never do that. In fact, I was almost ready to give them their independence. I had long understood that the North was an ungrateful, hateful land. It wouldn't do me any good to keep them in the Seven Kingdoms. Sooner or later,his sister would plot behind my back, to overthrow me and put her cousin on the throne. I didn't want traitors by my side. I didn't need Sansa Stark and the frozen wasteland she called home."_

_Missandei sighs and smiles." I will be honest with you, as I have always been . I am still upset with what you did at Kings Landing. But I don't blame you for it, not entirely. You were pushed beyond your limits. You were bent over and over and over again, until you broke. People have been lost for less. Just... Just promise me this. As a Queen of the people and as a friend. Promise me that, if any of these events happens again, you won't let it kill you. Promise me you will stand on your feet and prove yourself to be the Queen we chose. Promise me you will show the world what it means to be a true Targaryen. Ruthless but merciful, strong and unyielding but compassionate and just."_

_She breaks down in sobs again." Please Missandei, please don't say such things..."_

_"Promise me, Daenerys!" They are both crying now in earnest. "Promise me. Swear to me on your daughter."_

_Dany can only nod through her tears. "I promise."_

* * *

Tonight, two days before she invades Kings Landing and destroys Cersei and Euron, is no exception. Her nightmares are coming back in full force, but this time she can't wake up after Jon kills her. Instead, the scenery changes.

She is now standing in a barren frozen land. Snow covers everything, with some small bushes being the only signs of life. It's certainly not Winterfell. It matches more Jon's descriptions about the lands beyond the Wall.

_The Lands of Always Winter, perhaps? _

What captures her attention, though, is a couple, standing some feet away from her. When she tentatively approaches, her breath hitches in her throat.

The man is a carbon copy of Jon, the only difference being his straight hair instead of Jon's wild mane of curls. And the woman looks exactly like her, only significantly taller.

"Please, Robard." The woman is crying in his arms, as he is trying to soothe her with light caresses on her back. "Please, don't go. Don't trust them."

The man sighs. "I can't, Daenys. I can't go back to my word. I promised them my help. It will be only for a few years. Then, they will let me return to you. Please, my love. Don't make it more difficult than it already is."

The woman named Daenys only cries harder. "They are lying! They will never set you free! Please, believe me. My visions are never wrong. If you go now, if you follow thats path, I won't be able to save you."

In front of Dany's astonished eyes, Daenys summons flames from nowhere and closes her palms. When she opens them again, she holds a necklace with a silver dragon. The dragon's eyes are red, just like the fire she drew from her bare hands. 

" Take this. Wear it. As a promise. A promise you will come back to me. A promise you will come back to us." Daenys takes Robard's palms and puts them on her slightly swollen stomach. "I will wait for you for as long as I live. Your daughter will be waiting for you."

Robard nods, visibly trying to suppress his own tears. "I swear I will come back to you."

* * *

Daenerys wakes up with a jolt, tears streaming down her cheeks. They are not just for Kings Landing anymore, but also for the mysterious couple. The man and the woman who looked so much like Jon and her. 

_Is this the past or the future? And if it's the past, what happened to them? _

_Is the Lord of the Light trying to tell me something again?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conquest of King's Landing. Daenerys deals with her enemies, and faces some hard truths from her past.

She is well into her fifth month when Kings Landing finally falls. A part of her Unsullied and all her Second Sons, Daario and Grey Worm leading them, infiltrate the sleeping city at night and take Red Keep. When Grey Worm gives his signal with the torch, the rest of her armies invade the city and subdue the Lannister soldiers. Willas and Garland take the city in her name and the Lannister forces surrender, whereas the golden twins are thrown in a cell, waiting for their punishments.

In the meanwhile, she catches up with Euron's fleet. The huge navy force is heading towards Dragonstone, but they are in for a huge surprise, when Daenerys and her dragons fly above them and incinerate all of the ships. Yara is following her lead with a small ship of her own, the _Dragon's Pride._

When it's over, Daenerys climbs off of Drogon and gets on Yara's ship, the Ironborn Queen wearing a proud smirk on her face.

"I want you and your men to capture Euron alive. Search every surface on the ship for something looking like a horn. Bring them both to me."

* * *

"Dragon Queen. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Although I would prefer it to be under different circumstances."

"Speak for yourself. I had no wish to meet a man who wanted my hand in marriage, only to kill me after the marriage and subdue my dragons with his evil weapons."

Euron smirks maliciously. "Handy weapon, isn't it? You'll be surprised with what you can discover in the ruins of Old Valyria. The Fire Lords might have been the most powerful Kings once, but their enemies had their ways to overpower them. And so they did."

Her breath hitches. "What do you mean?"

He refuses to answer, looking at her defiantly. "And what's in it for me if I answer?"

Wearing a cold smile of her own, she calls Drogon with her thoughts. Euron's face is the image of pure horror, as Drogon lands beside him and sets his sword arm aflame. His screams of agony fill the air and the smell of burnt flesh makes her nauseous.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! I'LL TELL YOU! STOP IT, I BEG YOU!"

Silently, she orders Drogon to retreat. When Euron has finally calmed down a bit, only occasionally groaning, she adresses him again. "If you tell me, I'll let you have your other hand. If you don't, you'll lose all of your limbs, one by one, until I finally convince you to speak."

"Fine.", he grits through his teeth. " The Fire and Dragon Lords met their downfall by what you are holding right now. Westeros knows it as the Dragonbinder, but it's also called Dragonkiller. With this horn, you can both control and kill a dragon. Everyone knows that Valyria was destroyed by volcanic eruptions, but no one knows how they erupted. In fact, very few of the volcanoes were active. The enemies of Valyria used such enchanted horns to make the dragons go crazy. Most of them headed towards the volcanoes and rained fire straight into the craters, thus activating the volcanoes. The Valyrian Doom was caused by those horns. This is rumoured to be the last one. I searched for more, but I found only this one. That's all I know."

She is clenching the Dragonbinder so hard in her fist that she may smash it. "Lady Kinvara. Take the horn and destroy it."

Kinvara bows, takes the horn and steps back. "At your service, my Queen."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Daenerys turns to Yara. "Yara, I think you should do the honours."

Euron looks terrified as Yara approaches him, a brand new Valyrian steel sword in her hands. "You said you would let me live!"

Daenerys turns around and looks him in the eye, her stare colder than the Wall. "I said I would let your limbs intact. I never defined what I would do with your head. Besides, it's not my father you killed to take the Salt Throne."

"Dragon whore! You will never..."

And with a single swish of Yara's sword, Euron Greyjoy is no more.

* * *

Daenerys arrives three days later in King's Landing on Drogon's back, the journey making her sick and tired. When the great beast lands on the ground, she bends over under his wing and vomits the tiny amounts of bread and water she had before she travelled.

After a while, she stops. Her stomach is still sick and her head is spinning, but she has to walk into the city she worked so hard to take.

With careful movements, she mounts a black stallion and heads towards the Red Keep. Her Unsullied bow deeply at her sight and her Dothraki fill the air with their screams, cheering for their Khaleesi.

When she finally reaches the grand stairs of the Keep, she finds Willas waiting for her, a warm smile on his lips. She can't stop her own smile as she climbs the stairs and hugs him fiercely.

"Thank you, Willas. I will never forget what your family offered me."

He simply shakes his head in denial and kisses her hand softly, bringing butterflies in her already upset stomach. "You don't have to thank me. This was all your doing. Thanks to your brilliant plans, not a drop of innocent blood was shed. I was merely the executive."

Her smile becomes wider, as she takes his proferred hand and they walk inside the castle together. "I beg to differ, my Lord."

* * *

Despite she knows how uncomfortable it will be for Tyrion, she executes Cersei the very next day, along with Gregor Clegane and Qyburn. The execution is in front of the public, and Dany feels a sick kind of satisfaction, knowing this mob who boos Cersei is the same mob who cheered the Lannisters for killing Eddard Stark. His children may not deserve it, but she has delivered justice for both their families.

When it's over, she gives Tyrion the permission to take Cersei's body to their ancestral home and bury her there. She is still conflicted with what she must do with her twin brother, though.

Kinvara saves her once more with a piece of her usual cryptic advice.

_Let him live, my Queen. You two have much to discuss. Besides, he will be quite useful later. Don't be afraid of him._

For some reason, her instinct agrees with Kinvara's words.

* * *

"Jaime Tywin Lannister. I hope you know why you stand here in front of us today."

The golden lion, once considered one of the most handsome men in the world, is nothing but a shadow of his former arrogant and confident self. He is barely standing on his own two feet, his beard has grown on his face, his hair is stuck on his dirty forehead and his golden right arm is nowhere to be seen.

When he gives her no answer, Daenerys goes on. "You betrayed the King you were sworn to. You killed him like a coward, with a sword on his back. You let King's Landing be sacked by the Usurper. Your family is the reason I grew up in the streets, famished and scared for my life. You never let us rest, always hunting me and my brother down." She makes a pause and smiles. "Thank you."

Several gasps are heard in the Throne Room, the loudest coming from the Sand Snakes and Tyrion. Jaime, on the other hand, bolts his head upright and meets her eyes with a look of utter shock, his green eyes impossibly wide.

Daenerys stands up from the Throne and descends the stairs, slowly approaching him. With a beck of her hand, Grey Worm is beside her and gives her the keys to Jaime's handcuffs.

"Thanks to you, the capital was saved from being burnt to the ground by a madman. He might be my father, but I am not blind to what he was, or what he did. Of course, I can not disregard the rest of your actions. You and your late father are still responsible for letting Gregor Clegane in the Red Keep, which had as a result Princess Elia and her children's brutal deaths. Furthermore, you are a sworn member of the Kingsguard. Herefore, I can not appoint you as Lord of the Westerlands. Such a move would never help Dorne and your lands to reconcile. It's the same reason why I can't appoint Lady Ellaria as Queen of Dorne. For now, both seats remain vacant, until I find the most suitable governors. What you can do now, is help me divest the city of the barrels of wildfire. You, Tyrion and Varys know some locations and I am confident we can find the rest of them together. As for your position in the Guard..." she pauses again and thinks "you won't keep your post as the leader, but you can still be a Queensguard. If you wish to be dismissed from your post, I will let you return to Casterly Rock, but as I said before, you won't be Lord. Do you agree, Ser Jaime?"

Jaime seems lost for words, his mouth opening and closing without forming words. She smiles inwardly at his obvious uneasiness.

"I had the impression you had your hand cut, Ser Jaime. Not your tongue."

That seems to take him out of his trance and he finally finds his voice. "Your Grace...I-I don't know what to say. You...After all we did to your family...You-you honour me. I will remain by your side, for as long as you need my service."

Daenerys lets out a relieved breath and smiles brightly at him. "Very well. I hope we can work together to make this city a better place." She takes his hands and unlocks the handcuffs, setting him free.

"Give Ser Jaime a room of his liking. Prepare him a meal and a bath and give him new clothes." She walks away from him and turns on her heels to look at Jaime once more, who is now watching her with rapt interest. "We have many things to discuss after dinner, Ser Jaime."

* * *

She is lost in her thoughts once more, tiring her brain to find ways to remove the barrels of wildfire safely. The dinner was an uncomfortable affair, but no one dared to hurl insults to someone else in her presence. Now, she is waiting for Jaime to arrive at her private solar.

She won't be alone, of course. As much as she longs for some answers in her life's biggest questions, she values her safety. Grey Worm and three other Unsullied are standing beside her, silent and ready to strike if Jaime tries to hurt her.

"Your Grace."

His deep voice startles her and she turns around in a single motion, the world spinning around her.

_Control yourself, Daenerys. You are pregnant, not an invalid._

"Ser Jaime. Welcome. Please, do be seated."

With one more look of curiosity, Jaime nods and sits on a chair across her. He winces and grabs his right arm, right on the spot it was cut. The motion doesn't go unnoticed.

"Does it still hurt you, Ser?"

He closes his eyes before answering. "It always hurts."

Standing up from her chair, Daenerys walks to a nearby smaller table and takes one of Kinvara's jars with magic ointments. She walks back to him and gives him the jar.

"Here. This will help with your pain. Tomorrow, I will ask Lady Kinvara about what we can do about your hand."

He laughs bitterly. "Don't give me false hopes, Your Grace. Even magic can't fix some things."

It's her turn to smile. "You severely underestimate magic, then. You have no idea what the Gods can offer us. If we are worthy."

"Which Gods? The Seven? The Old? Or the Lord of the Light?"

"I never believed in Gods in my life. All I had to believe in was myself. My strength, my reselience, my will to survive. It's hard to believe in any deity when the gods have forsaken you, abandoned you in the streets hungry and thirsty for days. After some recent events, though, I am willing to give the Gods a second chance. The Lord of the Light has helped me in ways you can't possibly imagine. I don't know if I have to pray to him or build temples to his name, but I will always be grateful for his help."

Jaime looks guilty as she finishes her last sentence. "For what is worth, I am truly sorry for all you had to suffer with your brother. The Lords could have easily put your brother on the Throne, but they were too afraid he would end up like your father, I suppose. And my father was too thirsty for power to let anyone else steal the throne from Robert Baratheon. We all celebrated for days and nights after the Sack, but I could have never imagined Robert's reign would bring more misery and chaos. Both for Westeros and for me."

"I imagine. Seeing your sister being married to that oaf and suffering, not being able to be with her as you wanted, seeing your children growing up with another man as their father. And seeing them dying."

Jaime is valiantly trying to supress his tears. "I stopped loving Cersei long time ago. The woman I loved would never set a Sept on fire, full of people and with our son's beloved wife inside it. In fact, when I learnt of her infidelities with our cousin, I stopped answering her letters. I only came back because we suspected you would invade Westeros. As for my children...I wasn't here when Tommen fell from that window. But I was present at Joffrey and Myrcella's deaths. Joffrey might be a tyrant, but he was still my son. My Myrcella...She was sweet, and kind, and so very clever. She wasn't ill-tempered like Cersei, but she could have become a great Queen in Dorne. All she got was poison on her lips. And I stood there like an asshole, being only able to hold her as she bled to death."

She smiles sadly. "A witch took my first child away from me. My child with Khal Drogo. She had promised me she would heal Drogo through blood magic, but I could have never imagined she would use my son's life. In the end, none of them lived. My baby was born more like a dragon than a human, with scales and claws and wings. And Drogo was left in a place somewhere between the living and the dead. I had to smother him with a pillow, to end his misery. The very next day, I burnt the witch alive."

Jaime shakes his head and tries to take a serious expression. "I don't think you have called me here to exchange sad stories, Your Grace."

"On the contrary, I'm afraid. I have some questions, and you are the only one who can provide me with the answers."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

"I want you to tell me about my late family. Aerys and Rhaella, Rhaegar and his children. Everything you know, everything you remember from them. I need to know, now that I am Queen. So I won't repeat their mistakes."

Jaime exhales heavily. "Your family's history is not a happy one, Your Grace. Are you certain you want to know the truth?"

"I've never been more certain for anything else in my life."

"Very well." He makes a small pause before he starts. " Your father started as a good, benevolent King. He had all the makings of becoming one of Westeros' best Kings. The Targaryens had gathered many enemies through the years, though. The extinction of their dragons didn't help their case. Put into the equation his unhappy marriage with his sister, and then you may understand how he started showing some signs of...mental instability. When Rhaegar was born, they were very happy. Not happy with each other,mind you, but still, happy with the birth of their son and heir. After the Defiance of Duskendale, though, things became even worse. He was imprisoned for a year before Ser Barristan set him free. His vengeance to House Darklyn was horrible. Lord Denys begged for mercy, but he was relentless. Houses Darklyn and Hollard were eliminated. After that, your father's madness grew worse in the years that followed. He never showed any love to his son or wife. He spent most of his days in his room, afraid that someone new would come and end his life. Viserys' birth made him less mad, but only for a while."

There is no way to stop her tears now, and she lets a small sob, startling Jaime. "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"No. No, please, go on. I need to know. Tell me everything. I can take it."

Jaime nods and resumes his narrating. "Your mother was a different matter altogether. She was the exact opposite of your father. Kind, compassionate, merciful. She secretly funded the orphanages and distributed food to the poor. Despite her constant abuse in your father's hands, she never lost her courage. I truly admired her sometimes. Such strength, such resilience...Rhaella was a true Queen. And despite her miserable marriage, she loved her children. I can still remember her rubbing her swollen stomach, waiting impatiently for you to be born. She wanted so much to meet you... She never got the chance."

"Abuse...When you say abuse, what exactly do you mean?"

Jaime looks her in the eye, his green orbs sad and haunted. "Aerys hit her. Brutally and frequently. He pulled her hair, he kicked her wherever he found. Most of her miscarriages were Aerys' fault. And...He...He raped her."

A strangled sob escapes her mouth and she covers it with her hands, not bothering to hide from the Lannister in front of her. "He raped her whenever he liked, wherever he liked. Sometimes, he would leave burn marks on her skin, from the coals in the hearth. I wanted to stop him, Gods, I wanted...But our hands were tied. We had sworn to protect the King. The Queen was at the King's mercy. I could do nothing. And I still remember standing outside their chambers with Ser Barristan, your mother screaming behind the doors and your father laughing with her pain."

"My first husband raped me." She interrupts Jaime and he turns his attention to her. "After his death, I learnt to excuse him. He was a savage, he didn't know better, I said. Perhaps it was my need to survive that drove me to love him. Now I can clearly see it was forced. I felt what I felt to save myself from insanity. Otherwise, I would have killed myself. He raped me on our first night...and the next one. And many other nights that followed." She sniffs and laughs bitterly. "Perhaps I am mad, like my father. Perhaps I am mad for loving my rapist. But I can't dismiss the good times we had together. I can't forget he gave me a son. Even though he was born dead, I loved my Rhaego."

"I am glad your first husband is dead, Your Grace." Jaime's voice has grown menacing. "If he still lived, I would kill him myself."

Dany smiles sadly at him. "It's a good thing he is dead, then. I would hate to execute you for his death, just right after I pardoned you for your crimes against my family."

Jaime gives her a small smile of his own. "Should I continue?"

"No. That was enough for tonight. I am positively exhausted. As you can see, I now live and breathe for two."

Jaime stands up and bows. "Good night, Your Grace. We can resume our conversation tomorrow."

"Good night, Ser Jaime. It was...interesting to know a little part of you."

Dany turns her back on him and starts unbraiding her hair. When Jaime opens the door to leave, he stands at the threshold, undecisive.

"Ser Jaime. What is it? Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Not tell you. Give you. My father will be rolling in his grave for me helping the enemy, but you pardoned me. I can't keep this a secret. I want to share my knowledge with you."

Daenerys frowns. "What knowledge?"

Jaime opens his jacket and takes out a folded parchment. "This came just a week ago, for Cersei. She allowed me to read it with her, of course. It's something you need to be aware of. You, and your Tyrell allies. Good night, Your Grace."

When she is left alone, she takes a closer look at the folded parchment.

Right on the centre of the parchment, there is an official seal.

_The coat of arms of House Tarly._


	5. Chapter 5

It takes two full months for the Tarlys to arrive, and the babe inside her is more active than ever. All of the male members, at least, just like she has ordered. As much as she is impatient to see Ser Jorah again, their reunion won't be that pleasant.

At least not when the Tarlys see what she has in store for them.

Along with their letter to Cersei, Daenerys has sent her own raven to the Grand Maester Lucien. He has to look for two very specific documents about Lyanna and Rhaegar and their presumably lost heir.

_The game is in my field now. I have the advantage against the Starks and Tarlys._

_In the game of thrones, you win or you die. And I don't intend to die again this time._

* * *

In the meanwhile, Dany has been quite a busy bee. Amongst all the activities, she almost finds no time for her and her babe to rest. Alas, her people need her. And she won't disappoint them again.

_I owe this to everyone who believe in me._

At her side now stands her new Small Counsil, the most faithful people to her. Missandei and Olenna, her Hands. Willas, the new Master of Grains. Grey Worm, the Master of War. Arianne Martell, the Mistress of Ships. Much to her displeasure, she has to keep Varys as Master of Whispers, seeing he hasn't done anything against her rule.

_Yet._

Tyrion is her new Master of Coins. It was a poor choice in her previous lifetime to make him her Hand. The dwarf only served his family's best interest, never hers. If he proves himself loyal enough, she will make him Lord of Westerlands. For now, she keeps her eye on him.

Finally, at a surprising new position in the Council, Jaime Lannister is now her Master of Arms. Considering he spent almost all of his life being a Kingsguard, he will be the one to supervise the manufacturing and trading of weapons, as well as the forging of new weapons made of dragonglass and Valyrian Steel. Thankfully, they don't have to travel across the world to make Valyrian Steel. Kinvara knows the incantations, and she has already proved herself with making her dragons almost invinsible. Moreover, his help with the barrels of wildfire is invaluable. The blond man knows exactly where they are hidden, and he leads her soldiers personally to divest the city of the horrible liquid. The best method to get rid of it is to throw it into the sea, he says. And she trusts him.

Jaime is a new constant in her life, and she has found out she needs him as much as he needs her, much to her surprise. He is a kind man, and his heart is well-hidden beneath all these layers of arrogance and cockiness. His actions may indicate the opposite, but he is not the monster people think him to be. He has given her much better advice than Tyrion so far, and he seems to believe in her more than his little brother.

Daenerys finds herself astonished with their conversations and his revelations about her family. She had never had the opportunity to meet them, and the only stories she knew were from her brother, who made sure to praise their family and condemn everyone else. With Jaime, she now has a more objective perspective of her deceased parents and older brother.

One night, before he leaves, she grabs him by his arm and stops him. Curious as to what she may want, Jaime waits for her to speak first.

"I can't thank you enough for all you have told me, Ser Jaime. I never knew much about my family, and I am glad that I have finally learnt some things."

Jaime only smiles and bows his head with respect. "It was an honour to have these conversations with you, Your Grace. I hope you have found some peace."

"I believe I will. I still need time to process all of this new information. Some of them are not exactly pleasant."

"You will accept your past. I just know you will. Goodnight, Your Grace."

Just before he opens the door, Jaime stops and looks at her again, a tender smile on his face.

"Ser Barristan once told you you remind him of Rhaegar. I disagree. You are your mother. In spirit, wisdom and resolution. I don't know if Westeros needed Rhaegar, but we certainly need more Rhaellas."

He leaves her alone with her thoughts after that. A lone tear escapes her eye.

_Not Rhaegar. Rhaella._

_My mother. The hero._

* * *

Eventually, all the male Tarlys arrive at King's Landing, Ser Jorah at their side, healed and healthy again. It takes all of her iron resolve to not crumble into tears in front of the Lords and her Council. All she manages is a small smile and a clench of his hand, with the promise they will talk later. Her loyal bear smiles and exits the Throne Room, accompanied by some servants to his rooms, the finest rooms the palace has to offer.

When Ser Jorah has finally left her sight, she adresses the Tarlys in front of her.

"Lord Randyll, Lord Dickon, Lord Samwell. Welcome to King's Landing."

Randyll only scoffs impatiently. "If you have called us here to pledge ourselves to you, you are losing your time. We pledged ourselves to Queen Cersei, and we stand by our choice even after her death."

A malicious smirk is formed on her lips. "On the contrary, my Lord. I had no such intentions. I knew about your allegiance with the late Queen. In fact, the letter you wrote her was pretty much clear about where your loyalties stand." Low murmurs erupt into the room, but her voice covers them all. Then, she turns her stare to Samwell Tarly, who is trembling under his father's scrutiny. _Spineless coward._

"Samwell. Would you mind reading the letter out loud in front of us? I think it has quite an interesting content."

With shaking hands, Sam climbs the stairs and takes the proffered parchment from her hands.

"As you can all see, the red stamp on the letter is the Coat of Arms of House Tarly. That proves its authenticity. Samwell, when you're ready."

The snivelling coward can't even manage to form two words out of his mouth, his voice trembling so much that the entire Room sniggers.

"I don't have all day, Samwell. Although now I see why your father deemed you worthless to be his heir. It's no wonder why Lord Commander Jon Snow was murdered. With best friends like you, who needs the enemies?"

Sam is on the verge of tears, but he tries his best. When he reads the first words, the whole room is silenced.

_I_ _, Lord Randyll Tarly of House Tarly and my second son and heir, Lord Dickon Tarly_

_Hereby pledge ourselves to Queen Cersei of House Lannister, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men_

_To her campaign against her enemies_

_Lady Olenna, Lord Willas and Lord Garland of House Tyrell_

_and_

_Ellaria Sand and her daughters, the Sand Snakes, illegal rulers of Dorne, who murdered Prince Doran Martell, his heir Trystanne and Trystanne's betrothed, Princess Myrcella Baratheon of the Seven KIngdoms._

_Let it be also known that House Tarly offer their help to Queen Cersei against Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of Aerys II and claimant to the Iron Throne. If need be, House Tarly vows to fight against Daenerys Targaryen and her allies._

_Lord Randyll Tarly, Lord Dickon Tarly._

_This declaration was supervised by Maester Damien of House Tarly as a witness and signed by him. Its authenticity is proven by the Maester's signature and the Coat of Arms of House Tarly on the front._

When Sam finishes reading the parchment, an eerie silence has fallen over their audience. Lord Randyll is expressionless, but Dickon has visibly paled.

Daenerys slowly descends the stairs, her eyes glued to the two men. "Master Lucien. According to the Code of Aenys, what is the punishment for a vassal Lord betraying his leige Lords and pledging himself to said Lords' enemies?"

"Death, Your Grace."

Daenerys looks at the Tarlys again, Sam making a truly pathetic sight as he seems ready to throw up. Dickon is visibly shaken,too, but Randyll shows no emotions.

"According to the official law, I should have get you executed for the crimes you were ready to commit against House Tyrell. Betrayal itself is enough, you wouldn't even need to help Cersei. However, taking into account that you didn't have the time to react to my invasion, I will pardon you. You won't be executed. Instead, you will be sent to the Wall." She smirks again. "Among all the other traitors." She looks at Sam again. "You,too, Samwell. You are still a sworn brother of the Night's Watch. You were only sent to Citadel by Jon Snow to search something very specific. But you didn't intend to stay there, did you?"

"How-how did you know?"

"I have eyes and ears everywhere, Samwell." Even adressing him feels like she is swallowing poison. "Besides, I am well aware of the ways of the cowards. They use you at their benefit, but then they abandon you, when they have taken all you have to offer. Or worse, betray you. My brother Viserys was a coward like you, you know. He sold me to the Dothrakis in exchange for an army to conquer Westeros. When he threatened me and my unborn son, my husband melted some belts of gold to pour them on his head. And, as the coward he was, he begged me to save him. To change my husband's mind." She approaches the terrified man, until they are only a breath away. "Guess where he is now. With me standing here, it's not very difficult."

Sam gulps and shakes his head. "I will follow your orders, Your Grace. But Jon Snow sent me to..."

"I know very well the reason he sent you to the Citadel. Trust me, I have seen what he is trying to fight. Thankfully, you have met me at my most merciful days. I will allow you to send a letter to Jon Snow and Sansa Stark, regarding your search. Tell him I have prepared tons of dragonglass weapons and Valyrian Steel swords. Moreover, I now have 13 dragons at my disposal. Invite him here to King's Landing, and we can see how we can continue from there."

"O-Of course, Your Grace. Right away, Your Grace."

"Write him also to expect a formal letter from my own hands. I don't trust you to deliver my message." After a small pause, she turns to her Unsullied. _"Unsullied, prepare them for the Wall. Give Samwell Tarly all he needs to write the letter and when he is over, call me to see it."_

The traitorous family is taken away. A huge weight is lifted from her heart and, judging by Olenna and Willas's impressed and satisfied looks, she has done well.

_One matter solved. Two to go._

* * *

"Your- Your Grace. What have you called me here for?"

Another exhausting day comes to its end, but it won't be over until she has set the groundworks for one of her plans against the Starks.

A very nervous Gendry Waters is standing in front of her, and she can't fathom why he is so afraid of her. Except for their shared history, she has no reason to threaten him.

_Your father is already dead. The one thing Cersei got right._

"I think you know very well the reason..." She pauses and smiles kindly at him. "Gendry Waters, son of Robert Baratheon."

The man pales when she adresses him with his true identity, his shoulders sagging in fear and defeat. "Please, I beg you, Your Grace. I will never threaten your rule. I am a simple blacksmith, I have no intentions to..."

"I never said I would hurt you, Gendry. Why are you reacting like this?"

This is enough to stop his rambling and his eyes widen, looking at her curiously.

Confident at his reaction, she speaks again. "I won't punish you for your father's crimes against my family, if that is what you are so afraid of. I am not the type of ruler judging the children from their parents' sins. In fact, you and I have many things in common. I had been hiding all my life from your father, you have been hiding all your life from Cersei. None of us met our parents, and we were judged by our name and the history they carry. If anything else, I completely understand where you are coming from. Fear not, Gendry. I will do you no harm. In fact, I have called you here to make a proposal."

The poor man seems more confused than he was when he entered the Throne Room. "What kind of proposal?"

"Currently, you are the only surviving member of House Baratheon. You father was assassinated by Cercei Lannister and your uncles died during their campaigns for the Iron Throne. Storm's End can't remain without a leige Lord, however. As Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, it is in my powers to legitimize you and make you your father's heir. What do you say, _Lord Gendry of House Baratheon? _Will you accept?"

Gendry's eyes fill with tears when she calls him with his new name, his bastard status forever removed. He bows on one knee in front of her. "I accept, Your Grace. I will do my best to prove myself a worthy ally. I promise, I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. From today, you will live in the Red Keep with me and my advisors. You will receive all the education a proper Lord should have, here, with Grand Maester Lucien. You will also be taught about the histories of all the great Houses of Westeros, with a special focus on the Baratheons and the Targaryens and our blood relations. After you have completed a sufficient part of your education, we will introduce you to the vassal Houses of Storm's End as their new Lord. I hope this will establish a new era between Houses Targaryen and Baratheon. An era of friendship and mutual cooperation."

Gendry seems overwhelmed with the exhausting programme she has planned for him, but excited as well. "I will do everything in my power to meet your expectations, Your Grace. I won't disappoint you." His last words are filled with determination and confidence, and with a small amount of admiration and devotion.

Daenerys can only smile politely at the young man, but she is smirking on the inside.

_I have already won him. He is on my side. Who knows, he may become one of my most faithful allies. Even forget his silly infatuation with the little assassin and fall in love with me. My my, what an interesting sight that will be. Seeing the she-wolf fuming from rage and jealousy, when she discovers her beloved has given his heart and his allegiance elsewhere..._

_You took everything from me, Starks. Let me return the favor._


	6. Chapter 6

She has entered her 8th month when her nephew finally arrives at King's Landing. She has arranged for Olenna, Missandei and Gendry to greet him at the Red Keep. For now, she is with Jaime and Grey Worm at the open sea, getting rid of the final barrels of wildfire.

The man sounds exhausted as he empties the last barrel in the sea, sweating all over. "This is it.I...I can't believe it. Finally. The city is safe."

Daenerys smiles warmly at the Lannister beside her. "Her golden lion", she calls him nowadays. He has somehow become a brother figure, someone she needed so desperately in her life for guidance and comfort. She has spotted Tyrion looking at his brother with open jealousy sometimes, and she now understands why he was so malcontent with her relationship with Jon.

_Turns out he was in love with me all along. Too bad he didn't prove it. But then again, so did Jon._

None of them would be good for her, she sees it clearly now. They both love their families too much, even when said families prove to be the worst traitors and manipulators. Such men are dangerous, for they could never offer her a complete loyalty.

"You did a splendid job with the wildfire, Ser Jaime. You saved my city and my people. House Targaryen will be always grateful to you."

If she didn't knew him well, she would swear she saw tears gathering into Jaime's eyes. "I did what had to be done long ago, My Queen. Robert never cared, but I still had tried to fund a secret mission. To empty the city of the wildfire. Now, we have succeeded. Lannister and Targaryen." He lets a small laugh. "Who would have thought?"

_My Queen... _She tries to push the bitter memories in the back of her head. _Seems like a lifetime ago._

_Maybe because it actually is._

But Jaime's eyes, those green eyes, so similar and yet so unlike to his brother's, hold no ill will, no treacherous intentions, no lies behind polite smiles. Then again, she is not the same Daenerys, who died and returned back in time.

_I have learnt my lessons, I am repenting for my sins, I have regretted everything. I will probably never forgive myself. But now, nobody has reasons to stab me in the heart._

"Probably no one. The Silver Queen and her Golden Lion. However, there is a small problem. My lion has only one paw. How will he be able to protect me, if need be?"

Jaime seems confused. "What do you mean, Your Grace?"

Dany calls Kinvara from her chambers on the ship, still smiling warmly at him. "Her Holiness, my faithful High Priestess has found a way to return your lost sword hand to you, Ser Jaime."

He steps back when Kinvara approaches him, trepidation and fear written on his features. "I-I don't trust magic, Your Grace. One of their kind gave birth to a shadow monster and killed Renly Baratheon. I don't trust them."

Dany takes his left hand and leads him towards Kinvara again, her violet orbs never leaving his green ones. "If you don't trust her, trust me. Trust your Queen. Have I given you any reason so far not to trust me?"

"No. No, Your Grace, you haven't."

Dany nods and gives her signal to Kinvara. The priestess handles a small vial with a thick blue liquid at Jaime.

"Drink this, my Lord. It will alleviate the pain, although it won't make it disappear entirely. It's going to be quite a painful process, but you won't feel the most of it, I reassure you."

Still somehow reluctant, Jaime swallows the potion in one large gulp and makes a face of disgust.

Kinvara immediately starts murmuring in High Valyrian, green and yellow sparks emitting from her fingers. When the spells start working, it's a truly gruesome sight. The arteries and the veins are formed first, the blood pumping and circulating inside them after so many years. Then, the bones, the tendons and the muscles. Jaime has paled and looks more dead than alive. It's obvious he is valliantly trying not to collapse and start screaming in pain in front of the crew and her men, who are now looking astonished.

Finally, Jaime's suffering comes to its end. His skin is the last to appear, and it seems Kinvara's incantations have worked. His right hand is back.

After he is certain the pain has stopped for good, he looks apprehensively at Kinvara. The priestess only smiles encouragingly.

"Try your hand, Ser Jaime."

Jaime starts flexing his fingers inside his fist, unable to stop the tears anymore as he sees his long lost hand has come back to him. Unsheathing his sword, he flourishes it in the air, as Dany watches him, sharing his profound happiness.

Jaime drops the sword and falls to his knees in front of her, trembling all over. "I wil never be able to repay you for this gift. You have restored my name, you have given me my hand back, you gave me the chance to save King's Landing once more. How can I thank you properly for what you have freely offered to me?"

Dany herself can't hold her tears back. "Be loyal to me. Stay faithful to our common cause. Never betray me behind my back. I may know Tyrion for a longer time, but he still hesitates to speak his mind at certain occasions. Don't do that, Jaime. When I am wrong, tell me. I need to know."

"I will, Your Grace. I promise I will."

"Very well. And there is still something else you can do." Taking the three-dragon golden pin from Kinvara's hands, she motions Jaime to stand up and pins it on his tunic. "From today and until I dismiss you from your post, you are appointed Co-Governor of my cities in Essos, along with my husband, Willas. Of course I will remain Empress, but you two will be my eyes and ears. You will oversee how the minor governors rule the cities and make sure slavery will never return. You will also supervise the trading with Essos, along with Tyrion."

Jaime's green orbs are full of admiration and elation, as he nods, accepting his new role. "I am your servant. From this day until the end of my days."

"No. You are not a servant. You are my equal, as Willas, Olenna, Missandei, Tyrion and all my allies are. There will be no servants in my rule. For the servant is obliged to blindly follow his master. You will be Ser Jaime Lannister, Master of Arms and Supreme Governor of Essos, Advisor of the Queen. Nothing more and nothing less."

Jaime smiles fondly. "And the Queen's Golden Lion."

She heartily laughs, and for the first time after so long, it doesn't feel forced. "Yes, and my Golden Lion as well."

* * *

When they return from their mission, Missandei already awaits them at the stairs.

"King Jon Snow and his advisor Davos Seaworth have arrived. They are waiting for you in the Throne Room."

Daenerys takes in a harsh breath. She can't postpone it anymore. The time has come.

_I have to face him all over again._

* * *

She can't fathom why, but this Jon seems different from Jon of her previous lifetime. More haunted, but also more determined and less intimidated by her presence.

_Perhaps the Lord of the Light has made him wiser,too._

"King Jon. King's Landing welcomes you."

"Thank you for the inviation, Your Grace. When we learnt you took King's Landing and the Six Kingdoms, we knew you would invite us, sooner or later."

"Yes. I am also aware that the North has declared independence from the rest of Westeros."

He tenses all over. "Yes. And we abide by this decision. We have no desire to bend the knee to another Southern King or Queen, no matter how good they are."

Murmurs erupt inside the Throne Room, some of them louder and enraged at Jon's open defiance of her leadership.

But Daenerys only smiles politely. "I understand your decision perfectly. The North has suffered more than any other kingdom in Westeros. First, my brother kidnaps Lyanna Stark, then my father burns Lords Rickard and Brandon alive and Lord Eddard joins Robert Baratheon to dethrone my father. And let's not talk about how your family was treated by the Lannisters during and after Robert's reign. Thus, I have decided that I will grant the North the right to secede from the Seven Kingdoms. You will be a seperate Kingdom and an occasional ally if we ever need your help." She pauses and smirks. "Or, if you need _ours. _And my resources from the Lands Beyond the Wall tell me you need it. Am I right?"

The King seems surprised and irritated at the same time. "How do you know about what exists beyond the Wall? And how do you define independence?"

The murmurs have become louder after her declaration, and some of the Lords are looking at her with mouths wide open. Jaime decides to intervene. "May I have a word, Your Grace?"

"Of course, Ser Jaime."

"Perhaps we shouldn't rush any decision. The North may secede now, but they can be free to join us again if they change their stance on this matter."

"No. My decision is final, as is theirs. Their independence will last forever, if they can keep it. If and when they decide to join the rest of Westeros again, they will bend the knee to the King or Queen who will be ruling at that time. And if they decide to attack us without provocation...", she takes a step forward and looks Jon straight in the eye. "...the consequences will be dire."

"Don't we know." His voice is sarcastic and he refuses to relent. "All of us have heard what you have done in Essos. You crucified the Masters and burnt Vaes Dothrak to the ground. We never intended to attack you, Your Grace." He spats the title like it's venom in his mouth, and her blood boils in her veins.

_I should have never trusted you. Let alone loved you._

"How dare you." Willas hisses and comes to her side. "How dare you speak to her like this, when she has only been polite and courteous to you."

"No, Willas, please. There is no need for an argument here. King Snow has come as a friend and equal. Although, Your Grace, let me answer to your accusations. I crucified the Masters as retaliation. They had previously crucified 154 children, as a warning from me not to continue my campaign of freeing the slaves of Essos. And I burnt Vaes Dothrak, because the new Khal had threatened he would command all of his men, 100.000 men, to rape me, and then their horses after them. Call me cruel, but I don't regret any of my decisions. I understand you are wary of me, because of my name and my father's actions, but there is no need to judge each other without knowing our stories fully."

Smiles of appreciation are formed on Missandei, Olenna and Yara's lips. Some other Lords also praise her slowly.

_I did exactly what I wanted. I made him look like a rude fool in front of the Court._

Her nephew clenches his fists on his sides, his lips tight. Thankfully, Ser Davos defuses the situation.

"We have plenty of time to discuss and make the decisions that are best for all of us. Allow us to rest for a while, then we can resume the negotiations."

Daenerys smiles fondly at Davos. _The only one who truly wanted the best for me and Jon. The only one who tried to save us from his family, Tyrion and Varys._

"I couldn't agree more, Ser. My people will lead you to your bedrooms. You can freshen up and have a meal. I'll be waiting for King Jon in my private solar in three hours from now. Don't hesitate to ask anything you need. My people and I are at your disposal."

And without another word, she turns her back on Jon and leaves, Missandei hurring behind her and the hole in her heart bleeding once more.

_Why can't I just forget him? Why can't I hate him and love Willas? I've married a great man, and all I can think of is my ungrateful nephew._

* * *

After she has had a light meal and a relaxing bath,she steps out of her bedroom and heads towards her solar. Jon is already waiting and has sit down, his expression unreadable. When she enters, he doesn't stand up to greet her, only makes a nod. "Your Grace."

"King Jon. I am glad you came. We have so much to discuss."

"We have."

With a cold nod of her own, she sits down across him. 

_Let the games begin._

"As I said earlier, I completely understand your decision to secede. It is well within your rights, and after all, the people of the North know better of their needs than a Southern leader. Although, I must say I am curious. Why did the Lords elect you as their King, where your sister Sansa has the better claim? As far as I know, she is Ned Stark's only surviving child. Pardon me, but shouldn't you decline the position and give it to your sister?"

Jon tenses all over and she can see the rage burning into his eyes. A wolf he may be, but there is the Targaryen fire in him. Plenty of it, in fact. 

"I accepted the position, because we must save the world from what exists beyond the Wall. You implied you know about that threat in your letter."

"Indeed, I know. It may sound strange, but many Targaryens were seers, as you know. I am one of them, like Daenys the Dreamer. I have had many dreams of what comes for us, and I have to tell you, my dreams always come true. My brother used to tell me stories about the Great Other, the Night King and his servants, but he dismissed them as fairytales for children. I believed them to be abysmal and ridiculous,too, until recently. Not now."

For the first time, Jon seems hesitant, unsure of himself. "Do you...Do you have any intention of helping us?"

"Of course. However, as far as I'm concerned, the Wall has magic that keeps the Others from crossing it. Unless the Night King finds a way to breach it, you have no reason to be worried. I say, we wait until he finds the way to cross the Wall. For now, there is nothing we can do."

Jon sighs. "I know. I sincerely hope he won't cross the Wall, but their forces are growing. There must be 100.000, if not more."

"As I said. We wait and see. Ser Jaime informed me the North has already received the first batches of dragonglass daggers and spears, as well as Valyrian Steel swords. Are you satisfied with the quantities?"

"More than satisfied. With the current rhythm of production, we will soon have more weapons than we need. Thank you, Your Grace."

Daenerys smirks inwardly. _Let's put an end to the pleasantries._

"I am happy the weapons are enough. If a war with the Dead happens, we will face them together. After it's over, I would be glad to have the proper negotiations with Queen Sansa."

All colour drains from Jon's face, his eyes widening. "Queen Sansa? What are you talking about?"

She smiles innocently. "Well, you said yourself you accepted the title of King only to help Westeros defeat the Great Other. After we win, and I'm fairly certain we will, with 13 dragons, dragonglass and Valyrian Steel, I don't see any reason why you should remain King. You may have the best intentions, but you are still an illegitimate child. I can't ignore Lady Sansa. You may not want to admit it, but she's the righful heir."

His eyes are narrowing in anger. "Are you implying she is a better ruler than me?"

"I am implying she is a better strategist. More calculative. Her years with Cersei Lannister and Petyr Baelish gave her many useful lessons. When you had no hope against Ramsay Snow, she sent a letter to Baelish and he brought the Knights of the Vale. You won the battle and Winterfell thanks to her efforts. And, as I said, she is a true Stark. Her being Queen will greatly please your Tully and Arryn allies, seeing she has blood relations with them. Why shouldn't she become Queen?"

"Because she did nothing to deserve it.",he spats, totally enraged. "She acted behind my back, she never asked for my permission to send that letter to Littlefinger. All she did during the battle was to stand on a horse and watch us as we were being slaughtered. I barely made it alive before the Knights of the Vale arrived. I fought for my position, and I earned it. I deserve it much more than her."

"Oh, I see. It's not only about the Dead, isn't it? It's about the old rivalry you had since you were children. She never accepted you, and you never loved her. It must be quite satisfying, hearing the Lords declaring you as their King and pushing her aside. Who could have imagined it? Ned Stark's bastard, who used to enter the great castle from the back doors, now walking proud through the gates, making the Lords bow to him. It is an immense pleasure, isn't it?"

"How dare you..."

"And I am not even finished yet. You come to my palace, insult me in front of my Lords, insinuate I am a monster, and now you try to play the King? How am I supposed to trust you, as an ally and as a King, when you have just revealed you can't even trust your own sister and undermined her brilliant thought?" Praising Sansa Stark is like taking a knife to the heart again, but she has to do this. She won't be fooled by the Starks again, let alone be killed by one. "How will the North ever flourish under your rule, when you can't find trust among your own ranks? You may not care about it, but the common people will suffer if you don't do your job."

Jon stands up abruptly, throwing the chair behind him. "And what do you know about ruling? What have you learnt all these years? You go from city to city, fight and leave. What experience do you have as Queen? At least, I have been Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I know how to lead an army and protect those under my commands. What sort of experience did you have as Queen of Meereen, when you managed to enrage the Masters shortly after you arrived and they called the Sons of the Harpy to assassinate you?"

She keeps her composure and looks straight into his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen are free cities and they are steadfast on their way to become the greatest cities in Essos. We trade gold, minerals and spices with cities from all the known world. In King's Landing, I managed to get rid of the barrels of wildfire, I paid all the Crown's debt to the Iron Bank and I feed my people, who were starving with Robert and Cersei. The Ironborn have stopped raiding and raping, Dorn has finally a ruler and the Reach will benefit even more from my marriage with Willas Tyrell." She purposely leaves out the detail that this marriage is not consummated yet, because of her pregnancy. Not that it's anything of his concern. "I dare say, I know plenty."

"I am not abandoning my position. I fought for it, bled for it. I earned it with my merit. I have been through horrors you can't possibly imagine, to protect the Northmen and the Free Folk alike. I won't let it to a bitter girl's hands. I have gone to hell and returned. And I won't sit here, taking insults from the Mad King's daughter. At least I have a name well respected and loved. You have nothing. Your name means nothing."

That's the final straw. She stands up,too, approaching him and trembling from rage. "Yes, my name means nothing. But that was all I had. Thanks to the Baratheons and your family, I was forced to live into exile. I have been running from the Usurper's assassins since I was a baby. I lived in the streets, hungry and thirsty and homeless. No roof above my head, no mother and father to take care of me. I was sold like cattle to the barbarian Khal who commanded the Dothrakis, I was raped every night for months. I lost my son, my husband. All I had, was the name you scorn. The name that gave me a hope to find my home, back in Westeros. And now that I have taken it back, I won't allow anyone to steal it from me again. Do you want to know why I went through such ordeals, why I suffered, why I want so bad to free any human in chains and feed every child? Because I know how it is like. You know nothing about these. You, know _nothing about hell, Jon Snow. _You think you do. Don't sit here and preach me about your suffering. Yes, you didn't have it easy. I can't imagine the horrors you have faced during your time at the Night's Watch. But I tell you, there are much worse things to endure."

They both stay silent for a while, refusing to yield or even apologise. Eventually, Daenerys huffs.

"We can continue our conversation tomorrow. I understand this was a tiring day, and I apologise if I have somehow offended you. I hope we will both be calmer tomorrow. Good night, King Jon."

He seems as if he wants to tell something, but he decides against it. "Good night, Queen Daenerys. We will talk tomorrow. I also apologise for my behavior. Maybe I am wrong about the Targaryens. You have certainly done a lot of good for your people. I hope we can continue in a more amiable tone tomorrow morning."

She gives him a polite smile. "I am sure we will."

And when she exits the solar and walks towards her chambers, she feels like the cat that ate the canary.

Missandei is already waiting for her, anxious and nervous. "My Queen. How did it go?"

She smirks maliciously. "Oh, splendid. Just as I had planned it."


	7. JON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon's POV of the recent events. The revelation of Jon's parentage. Daenerys gives birth, literally through Fire and Blood.

Daenerys Targaryen was intimidating.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was. The petite woman had the strength and resolution of ten men. Her sharp tongue reminded him of his sister, but there was also something else about her. Something he recognised, because they had it in common.

_Sadness. Pain. She is haunted._

When he had insulted her by saying she was no different from her father, a flash of pain passed through her eyes. It was only for a moment, but still. Perhaps she was afraid she would end up like him, perhaps it was too painful for her to be reminded of her father's sins. He regretted it the moment it got out of his mouth, but it was too late. Her answer put him to shame and gave him a lot to think of.

_You know nothing of hell, Jon Snow. You think you do._

If he were honest, he didn't know why he attacked her with something so personal. However, after the battle against the Boltons, after he saw Rickon dying in front of him, after realising that Sansa had secretly called the Knights of the Vale behind his back...

After he saw the displeased look she exchanged with Littlefinger, immediately when the Lords named him King...

Something had snapped inside him. Something dark, uncontrollable. Maybe it was his resurrection, just as Melisandre had warned him. Maybe the years of pain, betrayals and isolation had finally taked their toll on him. Maybe he had always been like this. But the Jon that had died at his sworn brothers' hands was nothing like the Jon that travelled from Winterfell to meet the new Queen of Westeros.

Somehow, the Targaryen Queen had voiced his deeper desires and thoughts, and that was the most annoying part of their conversation. Yes, he took the North after his sister came to him for help, but Sansa's arrival was just a minor motive. 

_Feels good to walk inside the castle and have everyone bowing to you, doesn't it? _

_King in the North..._

It was what Jon dreamed all of his life, since he could remember himself. He loved his siblings, but at the same time he felt a deep jealousy towards them. And he hadn't forgotten how Sansa had been treating him, not really. If she didn't need him to reclaim Winterfell, she would have never travelled to the Wall, let alone apologise to him. Her words sounded hollow and meaningless when he recalled how she used to sneer at his mere presence, or how she had looked at him when the Lords made him King.

_I will keep the damn throne, Sansa and Dragon Queen be damned. I almost died for it. They will have to kill me, if they want it so much._

And yet, Jon couldn't forget the Queen's words, of how Sansa was the rightful ruler, because of his bastard status. Sooner or later, some of the Lords would start complaining, either behind his back or straight into his face. The Vale had offered their help after Sansa's letter, honoring Lysa Arryn's last surviving niece. How long would their loyalty last?

_At least the Queen agreed to let the North independent._

That was...unexpected. Someone would expect a different stance from a conqueror as fierce as Daenerys Targaryen. He had arrived in Kings Landing believing he would have to fight hard for the Northern independence. The Queen had surprised him. She seemed...almost eager to grant them their wishes. As if she wanted to get rid of them.

When he would replay their meeting over and over again during the night, he couldn't help but pay more attention to some details in the Queen's behavior. It was...strangely guarded. To the point of suspicion. Like she was afraid of something. Or better, him in particular.

_She said she is a seer. Does she know something I don't?_

Perhaps it was due to their shared family history. His father had helped the man who took the throne from her father, and that led to the last Targaryens being exiled, constantly chased by Robert's assassins. Either way, he couldn't figure it out.

Sighing, he took a glance outside his window. He hadn't managed to sleep, despite his comfortable bed and warm room. The sun had just risen.

Rising from the bed, he went to the nearby desk and started washing his face, bracing himself for the new day.

* * *

_She is truly a Queen. The way she commands respect and fear... Many leaders would envy her abilities._

_It's as if she was born to rule, born to sit on that Throne._

If he thought Daenerys Targaryen to be intimidating before, now he is downright impressed with her. She is fierce and unyielding, yet kind and just. She seems to know exactly the right buttons to push, when to flatter the vain Lords and when to speak with harsh words.

And the Lords seem helpless to her mere presence. The legendary Targaryen beauty hasn't escaped the last surviving member of the Valyrian House. He heard many whispers the day before, some of them comparing her to Rhaenys, Alyssanne and Naerys. But everyone agreed her beauty was unique. Some of the Lords were more expressive of their feelings, almost vulgar. He can't fathom why, but he felt a deep urge to defend the tiny woman and punch them in the face.

_Maybe because she is pregnant._

He can't remember Lady Catelyn's pregnancies, or how she looked like. She was bedridden in Arya, Bran and Rickon, and she always seemed sick and frail whenever she got up from her bed to take a small walk outside the castle. Daenerys Targaryen is not a fragile little woman, though.

In fact, the pregnancy does nothing to hide her natural beauty. It enhances her features. Her cheeks are rosy, her skin seems as if it's glowing from inside, brimming with health. Her purple eyes shine bright, and her breasts seem ready to pop out of her tight dress. How she manages to breathe through that garment, he will never know.

_As if you don't enjoy the sight, _a treacherous little voice whispers inside his mind.

And whenever the young Queen touches her belly and rubs it affectionately, Jon feels his heart beating faster and his eyes stay glued to her swollen stomach. He doesn't know why, but he finds himself wanting to _protect _ the Queen and her unborn child.

_What in seven hells has gotten into me? Why should I care for her child?_

* * *

Shifting impatiently on his feet, Jon waits for his turn to be adressed by the Queen. Before she opened the court session, she had promised him they would have enough time to talk alone for all the important matters considering the North and the other Kingdoms. Three hours later, the Court is finally dismissed and Queen Daenerys descends the stairs, Willas Tyrell and Jaime Lannister by her side.

_One more thing I never expected to see. Jaime Lannister, the man who killed Aerys, standing by his daughter, with his sword hand intact. That mysterious Red Priestess must have something to do with this._

The Targaryen Queen takes him out of his thoughts, standing in front of him and adressing him with a warm smile. "King Jon. I believe we left a conversation unfinished yesterday."

"We can leave it for later, Your Grace. You must be exhausted, you and the little one,too."

She rubs her stomach with such love, it makes his heart flip in his chest once again. "No worries, my King. She has been the perfect little lady today."

"She?"

She grants him her very first smile. "As I told you, I am a seer. I have seen her."

"Well, we don't need to see her to imagine she will be just like you. A beauty."

Her warm smile fades and her eyes become melancholic and distant again. "Just like me and her father."

He doesn't have time to respond, because she straightens her back and speaks first. "I will be waiting for you in my solar. Take your time to freshen up or eat something. We have something very important to discuss."

She leaves him alone in the Throne room, confused and worried about what the topic of their conversation may be.

* * *

Jon finds her in her solar an hour later, her back turned to him. She seems lost in her thoughts, for she doesn't hear him entering.

He clears his throat and takes her out of whatever she has been thinking. "Your Grace."

"King Jon, please sit down."

When they both sit, her eyes turn serious. "I know that I may seem crazy after what I will reveal to you. I know that there is a high possibility you won't believe me. I have no demands from you. No demand to accept the truth. What I am going to ask from you, however, is to never repeat to anyone what you will hear today. For the sake of my safety and my unborn child's life, I beg you not to share this information."

He is puzzled, to say the least. However, if it is about her life...

"I swear to the Old Gods and the New. I will tell no one."

Daenerys seems relieved, but an amount of worry still remains on her features.

"What do you know about your parentage? About your mother, specifically."

"I...I don't know much, to be honest. My father had told me her name was Wylla and she was a tavern girl, but I had a strong suspicion he lied to me. I had also heard some faint rumors, that my mother was Ashara Dayne. That my father had fallen in love with her and took me after she commited suicide."

She inhales deeply and takes a parchment in her hand, a piece of paper so old that he fears it may crumble in her hands any time soon. "Read this. Read it carefully. Afterwards, I will fill the blanks for you."

More confused than ever, Jon takes the old parchment in his hands.

** _By the hand of Archmaester Aidan, Supreme Governor of Citadel and First Amongst Maesters_ **

_It is hereby declared that Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone and Heir to the Throne_

_Annuls his marriage to Princess Elia Martell of Dorne, to the grounds of infertility._

_I, Maester Aidan, have witnessed and signed the annulment and confirm that all legal procedures have been followed._

_ **By the hand of Archmaester Aidan, Supreme Governor of Citadel and First Amongst Maesters** _

_Prince Rhaegar has been legally married today with Lyanna Stark, Princess of the North. It is hereby declared that both are consending adults and therefore suitable for marriage in front of the Seven._

_The wedding took place in Dorne, in the village Daran. As the couple wished, the rituals were both the official ritual of the Faith of the Seven and the marriage as it's done in front of the Old Gods of the North._

_Prince Rhaegar and Princess Lyanna have both consented to the marriage. None of the newlyweds was forced._

** _Signed by: Archmaester Aidan, Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Princess Lyanna Stark._ **

Feeling increasingly worried, Jon looks at the Queen. "What does this have to do with my parentage?"

_Does it mean...? No, it can't possibly mean..._

Daenerys sighs and takes his hands in hers. The sudden intimate contact startles him, and the image of Lyanna's statue in the crypts of Winterfell suddenlt comes into his mind.

"I told you I am a seer. Truth is, Her Holiness, Priestess Kinvara, has helped me a little. What do you know about the fight in the Tower of Joy?"

Unable to give her an answer, he merely shakes his head.

"Lyanna Stark was guarded by the Kingsguard. All of them were sent to protect Rhaegar's new wife and future Queen of Westeros. Can you imagine why?"

_Kingsguard. They follow and protect the King._

_Rhaegar sent them to guard Lyanna..._

"Lyanna...She was pregnant?" 

Daenerys nods. "When Ned Stark arrived to save his sister-or so he thought, because apparently she didn't need to be saved-, he found her dying on a bed, the sheets stained with her blood. She had just given birth to a baby boy. The second prince Aegon. Lyanna, with her last breaths, begged her brother to never reveal the child's identity. To protect him from Robert, who had been hellbent on killing all the remaining Targaryens. Heartbroken, Ned gave her his word he would take the secret of her son's identity to the grave. He took the baby boy and gave him another name, a name fit for a man of the North. Afterwards, he swore his friend Howland Reed to secrecy and took the baby in Winterfell with him. When his wife asked him about the baby, he said he was his bastard. Jon Snow."

Every coherent thought is leaving him. For some seconds, his body forgets how to breathe, for he draws a shuddering breath, like he has been drowning.

_No. No. It can't be. No._

_Aegon Targaryen...Jon Snow..._

_He promised his sister he would protect the boy..._

_He...he passed me as his bastard._

_My whole life...A lie. _

_All the mockery, all the torments from his wife, all the humiliation..._

_My years at the Wall...To wash myself off of the sin of my mere existence._

_Prince of Westeros. Heir to the Throne._

_This is why she wants it a secret. If it comes out...Everyone will want her out of the picture. Who knows. They will try to have her head. To succeed where Robert failed._

_And her baby...Gods, an innocent child..._

Her voice, tender and pained, takes him out of his tormenting thoughts. "Jon. Are you okay?"

Only then he feels the warm water sliding on his cheeks. He has been crying. He tries to control himself and the raging inferno burning inside him, but his voice comes out strangled and lifeless. "Are you...Are you certain of what you are telling me?"

The Queen-no, Daenerys, his aunt- clenches his hands softly in hers, and only then he notices she is crying as well. "Gods, Jon, you don't know how I wanted this to be a lie. But it isn't. Kinvara has never lied to me, and her visions show nothing but the truth. My own were a bit vague. I had only seen a blue rose on a wall of ice. I couldn't understand what it meant, until she opened my eyes to the past through the Lord's flames. It was clear then. The blue rose was your mother's favourite flower. The crown my brother gave her was made of those roses. And the wall is obviously the great Wall that keeps the Others from Westeros. It represents you. Your years of servitude for a lie."

Now he understands. Now everything makes sense.

_The visions he also had at times. A dragon's dreams._

_The uncontrollable outbursts of rage. How even Sam and Ed were afraid of him when those appeared. The Targaryen fire has been burning inside him all along._

_His dreams of riding a dragon, a green dragon looking so much like Daenerys' dragon Rhaegal. The dragon named after his real father._

"My life..."His voice comes out as a whisper, but is full of rage and despair. "My life was nothing but a lie. All I have suffered, all I have been through...For nothing."

"Yes, it was. But at the same time, it was a life of safety and love, Jon. You may never meet your birth parents, but now you know they loved you. As Eddard Stark loved you and his sister. He loved her so much, he carried the shame of fathering a bastard until his last breath. By lying to everyone, including his own family, he saved your life. You have no idea what being a Targaryen means. You never had to live in the streets, thirsty and famished and wearing rags. Begging for a piece of bread or a cup of water, going to sleep with an empty stomach. Chased by assassins, running from city to city to escape a vindictive King." Daenerys laughs humourlessly. "The irony. Robert Baratheon hated the Targaryens, but his grandmother was one. His house was founded by a Targaryen bastard. And he was as mad as my father. The Targaryen madness ran deeper in Robert than it ever did in Rhaegar or any previous Targaryen king."

"I will never tell anyone." The sheer resolve in his voice surprises even him, but he means every single word. "I gave you my word and I intend to keep it. I won't tell a soul about what I heard today. I...It hurts to be called a bastard, but I understand where you are coming from. If this comes out, Gods know how the Lords will react. I can't allow any harm to come to you or your child." All he knows is that he has found another family. Just like his siblings, this woman is his family. He will protect her. At any costs. No matter how confused and angry he is with the truth of his parentage.

"Thank you.", she whispers. "I know this is too much to ask of you, but I am grateful. We don't have to keep this a secret forever, not really."

"What do you propose?"

"Well...If the Others manage to find a way and pass through the Wall, I say we guard the secret until we defeat them. If not, we can reveal your parentage after I have secured my rule. Most of the Lords have easily accepted my rule, but some of them are still suspicious, especially those from Storm's End. I don't intend to keep the secret forever, Jon, not if it is totally necessary."

"Still, the North remains a problem. How will they react when they learn the truth? They would never accept a Targaryen on the throne."

Daenerys smiles. "Who says they have to accept you? They may still want you after the revelation, or they may not. You are both a Stark and a Targaryen, Jon. Lyanna's son. If that is not enough for them, I don't know what will be. What I know, is that you have a home here in Kings Landing. If you want it."

He is rendered breathless for a second time this day. "What do you mean?"

"You are a Targaryen as much as I am. I will support your claim to the North, but if we fail to maintain your status as King, you can always come and stay here. You are my blood, my nephew. Do you think I would throw you away? I am no Catelyn Stark."

His head is spinning dangerously from the onslaught of information. It's too much to process in such a short timespan.

The Queen seems to understand, for she stands up and smiles kindly. "Take all the time you need. You are my guest. No one will dare to question why you are here. Think about what I offer. I understand the North is your home and will always be, but now you have a new family here, in Kings Landing. I am not forcing you to choose between me and the Starks. I am simply offering you a second family. We can discuss it again if you like. I leave you to rest."

Without giving him time to respond, she opens the door and closes it softly behind him. Not long after, he collapses on his chair with a groan.

_And I thought that the negotiations about independence would be difficult._

* * *

It takes him five days to find the courage to talk to her again. They exchange pleasantries at lunch and dinner, he is present at Court, but they still haven't talked. True to her word, the Queen has given him space and time to think. 

After the morning sessions are over, he finds her sitting at her balcony and sipping some tea. Her Essosi guards- _the Unsullied_\- bow deeply when he crosses the threshold of her bedroom, but they still don't allow him any weapons.

_Not that she would ever harm me. She would have done it already, if she wanted._

She greets him with a warm smile. "Jon. Please, have a sit. Do you mind me calling you by your name?"

"No. Not at all."

"Very good. You will call me by name,too,then."

"Alright, Your...Daenerys."

She laughs and orders her Dothraki handmaidens to serve him. "Do you drink tea? Would you prefer some wine or ale?"

"I've had enough ale for a lifetime. Tea is fine."

"I hope you like it. It has exotic flavours, you are not used to them."

"Still better than ale."

Soon, her servants bring him a tray with tea and some sweet treats. When they are left alone, Jon looks at her again. She seems particularly happy today, she is glowing brighter than the sun. Her beauty leaves him speechless, and he berates himself for ogling at her so openly.

_You idiot. She is your aunt. And married._

_Then again, the Targaryens had no qualms about sleeping with each other... Or having more than one spouse._

_No. No. Don't think of her like this. She is happily married and expecting a child._

_If only she were not married...Perhaps the North would be satisfied with a King of Stark blood on the Iron Throne._

"So, Jon." Her melodic voice takes him out of his daydreaming. "Have you thought about our discussion?"

"I don't know if it's safe to talk about this issue in the open, Daenerys. You never know who might be hearing."

Something dark passes through her eyes, but it goes away so quickly, he wonders if he simply imagined it. "Don't worry. Kinvara protects me with various spells. Whenever I want a conversation to be private to everyone else, she knows. You can talk freely."

_Alright..._

"It is difficult to take all of this information in. The truth...It's hard. So hard. Everything I knew about myself...I had made peace with who I am, you know? I was a bastard, and finally I was fine with it. And all of a sudden, I have a new identity. A new name, new parents. And I really don't know how I am supposed to feel about it. I feel angry with them all. With Rhaegar and Lyanna, for being so selfish to start a bloody war. With Rhaegar, for abandoning Elia Martell and his children. With Ned...my father. For keeping the truth from me. He should have told me before he left for Kings Landing. He never returned. I don't know...I am so grateful for what he offered me. I know that most bastards don't have it that easy. Hell, you are a princess and you suffered a lot worse than me. But...Still." He exhales deeply. "He could have told me. _Should have _told me. What was he afraid of?"

"He was afraid of Robert. Of what he would do to his family. If Robert ever discovered he kept such a secret from him...He would not only execute you and Ned, he might threaten his wife and children as well. Surely, you must know that Robert's hatred for the Targaryens only grew as the years passed."

"I would never tell anyone. Nor did I want the fucking Throne. I only..." A lump forms in his throat. "I only wanted to know who my mother was. And he took that from me. He let me live in a lie. In shame. I don't know if I can ever forgive him."

"Then don't. No one forces you to feel this, or that. Forgive him, or don't forgive him. What really matters, is that Ned Stark loved you as his own. As Rhaegar and Lyanna loved you. You don't have to accept their actions or decisions. You were loved, Jon. You have not only one, but two families who loved you in equal measure. Rhaegar died with your and your mother's names on his lips. Ned Stark suffered his wife's bitterness for years. Your cousins loved you, for you grew up with them as their brother. If that helps you make peace with who you are, remember it. Everything happened for a reason. You may not like it, but deep down you know what you meant to them. Starks or Targaryens, it doesn't matter. They loved you. They still love you."

The way Daenerys looks at him leaves no room to doubt her words. She has already accepted him, and she trusts her visions. What reasons would she have to lie to him? Everything would be in jeopardy; her title, her status, her life, her child's life.

Smiling softly, he nods. "How do you manage to find the right words for everything?"

"I am a Queen of many talents, Jon Targaryen. I..."

A strangled gasp leaves her lips and Jon rushes to her, throwing the chair down in the process. "Daenerys!"

She lets out a scream that makes his blood freeze in his veins, and he hears something...Something like water dripping on the floor. When Daenerys' hand goes to her belly, he dares to look down for a moment.

_Her waters have broken..._

_She's going into labor!_

"Guards! The Queen is giving birth! Guards!"

Daenerys seems to be lost in her own world, clutching her stomach and moaning in pain. Just when her guards bolt into the room, a frightening screech is heard behind him. When he turns around, he comes face to face with black scales and red eyes.

_Drogon. The Black Dread reborn._

The Queen walks towards her largest dragon, her petite body shaking. "My child..."

"Daenerys, come here! Your maids have to take you to bed!"

She doesn't hear him. With great difficulty, she climbs on the great beast and the dragon leaves the balcony, in front of his terrified eyes.

Just when her guards are exiting the room, the Red Priestess enters and comes to his side.

"You must come with me, Jon Snow. The Queen needs you in childbirth."

"Me?! What does she need of me?"

"I'll explain later. We don't have time. We have to follow Drogon."

"Where is he taking her?"

Kinvara's green eyes are full of fire. "To the place where all the great dragons were born, and where they diminished. The Dragonpit."

* * *

When they finally arrive at the Dragonpit, Daenerys' Dothraki and Unsullied's Commander behind them, they feel a surge of hot air engulfing them.

Kinvara sighs. "It has begun. The dragon helps his mother give birth to his sister."

"What do you mean?"

She pays no attention to him, turning to the troops instead. She gives them some orders in High Valyrian, and her Commaders nod.

"Come with me, Jon."

* * *

The sight in front of him is almost enough to make him collapse on his knees. Almost.

Drogon is raining the pit with his fire, his screeches resembling human cries. And somewhere in the flames, he can hear Daenerys screaming.

"She needs you. She needs the blood of the dragon to survive."

"What...what do you mean?"

"You must go inside the flames. Then, you will slash your wrist and give it to her to drink your blood. Only your magic combined with hers will save them."

"Are you insane? I will be dead the moment I will set foot in the flames!"

"You won't. After your resurrection, your dragon blood was awakened. Fire can not kill you anymore."

For a moment, he thinks the priestess has gone crazy. But the very next moment, he hears another desperate scream from Daenerys and something shifts inside him.

_I have to go. Even if I die, I must try to save her._

Kinvara gives him an elegant dagger with a ruby on its hilt. "It's Valyrian steel. Like your sword, Longclaw. When Daenerys stops drinking, the magic from the dagger will heal you instantly."

He looks at her one last time. "I hope you have clothes for me and the Queen."

The priestess huffs, but he can see mirth in her eyes. "Do you think I came here unprepared? Now go. _Go._"

* * *

The moment Jon steps into the flames will forever be engraved in his mind. The feeling of the fire engulfing him, licking him, becoming a second skin...

_It feels like home. Like coming home._

His clothes are gone in an instant, but that's the least of his concerns. He keeps walking, searching for Daenerys.

He finds her some meters away from the center of the pit, lying on the ground with open legs. Her clothes have burnt,too, and the screams don't seem to have an end.

With three quick strides, he is beside her and kneels down. "Daenerys!"

His voice stops the screams for a while, as she focuses on him, her eyes widening in surprise. "Jon! But...But how...?"

He manages a small smile. "Blood of the dragon. You're not the only one."

Before she can answer, the pain consumes her again and she throws her head back, another heart-breaking scream leaving her mouth. Only then he notices the blood between her legs, flowing uncontrollably.

_There is no time._

With a swift move of his hand, he cuts his left wrist and lifts it up to Daenerys' lips. "Drink. You need my blood. Now, Dany."

_Dany? Where the hell did that come from?_

It does the trick, because her eyes focus on him again, a look of pain and fear as she realises what he has done. "But, your hand..."

"Kinvara says you need it. We don't have time! You are losing too much blood. You will bleed to death, Daenerys. _Please._"

Hesitantly, she takes his wrist in her lips and starts sucking. He can feel the blood draining from him, but it's not like when he was stabbed to death. Strangely enough, the blood seems to be replenished on his own.

_The dagger..._

After a while, Daenerys stops sucking and falls on the ground again, still in pain but not screaming like she is ready to die. His wrist heals immediately, leaving no scar behind, and he can't help but look at it in wonder.

"Jon...",she whispers meekly. "I...I am afraid you have to look between my legs. I feel..." Another moan escapes her lips and she is clenching his hand so tight, he is afraid she will break his bones. "I feel her coming down."

_Oh Gods..._

He complies and goes between her legs, albeit with great difficulty. Drogon's flames are stronger than ever and prevent him from seeing clearly. After a while, though, he can see something.

_The head. The babe is crowning._

"You have to push with all you have. The baby is coming, and fast."

She seems utterly exhausted, but does as he told her. Honestly, he has no idea of what he should do, but she needs him now.

Daenerys' groans fill the air once more, and her scaly son joins her with his own screeches. Jon can't help but look in awe, as the head slowly comes out, and then the little shoulders. Before the babe can get stuck, he grabs it by the shoulders and gently takes it out of its mother's body.

The baby's loud cries fill the pit, followed soon by Daenerys and Drogon's cries. Jon takes a quick look at the newborn and smiles.

"It's a girl. Just like you saw in your..."

His breath is caught in his throat, when the tiny baby girl opens her eyes for the very first time.

_Brown eyes. Like her lover's._

It shouldn't affect him so. It shouldn't. But as the girl seems to relax in his arms, her cries turning into small whimpers, all he can do is look at her, transfixed. Like she has an invisible thread connected to him that pulls him towards her.

_Brown eyes. Like my own._

"Jon...Please...Give her to me."

He quickly cuts the cord with the dagger, its magic doing pretty much the same thing it did to his wrist. The remaining cord in the baby's belly shrinks and heals on its own rapidly, and when he passes the baby to her mother, it is already sealed.

Purple and brown eyes alike are focused on him, the dragon continuing raining fire all over them. The babe has started suckling on her mother's breast, but her eyes never leave him. Nor do Daenerys' eyes.

The Queen's voice is soft, brimming with emotion. "Thank you, Jon. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you."

Drogon screeches, throwing another powerful gust of fire on them, and he has never felt more alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to have a bowel surgery, the second in this year. Honestly, if it doesn't hurt so much, I will keep writing through the week. I have formed the next chapters in my head and I don't want to lose my mojo. Thank you all for your love and comments in this story.
> 
> PS. University is a bitch when you are ready to graduate. Much like Sansa. You know what I mean? September was...Hell. I don't have any other words to describe it. I am exhausted. Thank God the weather has started cooling down a bit in my country. I can't imagine how I will deal with another wave of heat, if it decides to visit me during my recovery after the surgery.  
PS.2. I never expected such love and support for my stories. And I mean all of them, not just the ASOIAF ones. You guys have given me strength to work on my own novel, and I hope it will make it to the bookstores one day. It's still early to even reveal something, but still. Thank you.  
PS.3. Emilia's live on YouTube. Hilarious. She is such a sweetheart, and she was positively excited when they mentioned the fan theory of Daenerys being resurrected in Volantis. You are our Queen, girl. I hope she throws some good shade on the show when she is not bound by contracts anymore. Like that nice shade she threw at the Emmys ;) ;)


	8. DAENERYS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter. No action until the next one ;) ;)

Of all the titles she has been given in her life, this one is the sweetest.

_Mother. Mama. Muna._

She is still so fascinated with her baby girl that she stays awake most of the nights, just to observe her in her sleep. She was so absorbed in her new role as a mother, that she had no answer for poor Tyrion, when he asked her what the baby's name was.

When she looked at her,though, the first Firebender born after so many centuries, the answer came almost automatically.

_Saraphine. Saraphine Vesta Targaryen._

During her long journeys, Daenerys had met people from every nation in Ulthos, of every language, colour and culture. She had particularly liked the name Seraphina, which meant "fiery", and she had also heard of the gods of a country named Greece. Hestia was the Goddess of the Family and Hearth, Vesta was simply another form of that name. Although she changed Seraphina a little, she couldn't have found a better name for her daughter. 

Her miracle.

Tonight is no exception. She knows Tyrion will be annoyed with her in the morning, but she doesn't care. She has been watching Saraphine sleeping for so many hours, she has lost the sense of time. Her beautiful baby is sleeping peacefully, totally unaware of her mother's presence. With careful movements, Dany reaches into the crib and caresses the silver tufts of hair softly.

_You have no idea of how much you mean to me. You are my miracle. The love of my life. Not your father, not my dead husband, no man on this Earth. You. Just you._

And when the sunrise finds them both wide awake, Dany has a reason to keep fighting.

* * *

"I seriously thought of scolding you in front of the Small Counsil today, you know." Tyrion shakes his head, but smiles softly. "Seeing how happy you are, though... Does it really matter? I mean, black circles under the eyes are hardly a crime."

Dany laughs and starts singing in High Valyrian to Saraphine, who is now kicking her little legs wildly, excited to have her mother's full attention again. Poor Missandei hadn't managed to make the princess fall asleep, the baby crying fat, loud tears from the very moment she got seperated from her Mama.

Willas smiles fondly and joins Dany, demanding his share of cuddles and giggles with the baby. If she had any doubts before about Willas being a suitable husband, they have vanished once and for all. "So young and so spoiled already. I dread to think what we will have to face when she grows up."

His teasing words do nothing to hide the love he has for Saraphine. He loved the baby from the very first moment he held her in his arms. If anybody saw him with the newborn princess, they would assume he was her real father. Such is his love for her.

Dany kisses her husband softly on the cheek. "So spoiled indeed. But fear not. She will be the bravest, smartest, kindest Queen Westeros has ever seen. Because she will have you as her father."

Willas takes Saraphine from her arms, who is now babbling in her own baby language, his smile growing brighter than the sun itself. "And you as her mother."

* * *

And although Dany is certain that Willas will become an exemplary father, she can't really forget about Saraphine's _real father. _Especially since he is still in the Red Keep.

_If only... If only I could tell you, Jon...But if I told you, your brother would know..._

It doesn't help her case that Jon seems to be firmly attached to Saraphine. The invisible thread that connects father and child seems to be dragging him near their daughter constantly. Whenever he visits them in Dany's chambers, he can't take his hands off the baby, holding her with such love in his eyes, such adoration, that Dany feels her heart breaking all over again. Only days after she was born, Jon visited them and shyly presented his first gifts to the baby. A wooden dragon and a wooden wolf.

_For my dear cousin._

She almost burst into tears when he called Saraphine his cousin. There were times she wanted so badly to knock his door. To enter and tell him the truth about everything. But she can't. It's not just her life at risk now. 

The most worrisome thing is that she still has those weird visions of the young lovers, Daenys and Robard. They had subsided a little bit as her pregnancy developed, but now they have returned stronger than ever.

And she can't help but feel that the Gods are trying to warn her about something. That this couple, looking so much like Jon and her, had also a tragic ending.

* * *

_"You promised." The man seethes, but his voice is full of despair. "You swore to your damned Gods you would let me return to her! To my child!"_

_Robard looks different now. His face is deathly pale, his skin has hardened, and his eyes have become blue, shining with malice._

_"Well, you should have trusted her." The voice comes from deep within the forest, but is enough to make Dany's blood freeze in horror. "She warned you, didn't she? We can't let you go. Your servitude will be eternal. You gave your soul to us, Robard Stark. You belong to us now."_

_With hands trembling from rage, Robard lifts the dragon necklace from his neck, inspecting it. A lone tear escapes his eye, and somehow, Dany feels this is the last tear the man ever shed._

_"I belong to no one. I belong only to Daenys and my daughter. And sooner or later, you will pay for this. Fire and Blood, she used to say..." His cold blue eyes become brown again for some seconds, before they turn back to blue. "Fire and Blood, it is. This world will crumble into ashes and tears. But not before I turn everything into ice."_

_"You can't." The malicious voice suddenly sounds terrified. "You can't do this!"_

_A terrifying smirk adorns Robard's lips. "Oh, but don't you know? Only fire can kill ice. I will simply invite the fire. Nothing more. And all of us will burn in it."_

_Somewhere in the distance, Daenerys hears her father's voice. Not the voice of a madman, but the voice of someone who saw death with his own eyes._

_"Burn them!!! BURN THEM ALL!!!"_

* * *

It's fairly easy to forget her guilt towards Jon, when she reminds herself of how he and his family treated her in that past life. She is fully aware it will break his heart, but she won't stop. Not until she has her revenge against the Starks.

For the past two months, one part of her schemes is going perfectly. She has Gendry eating from her hand, the man seems already taken with her. She is present in every lesson he has with the Maesters and spends most of her spare time with him, going out for walks in the Royal Gardens or sharing her dinner with him.

Daenerys is impressed, to say the least. The young man has a surprisingly shrewd side, and a good sense of how politics work. It seems he only needed the proper education and grooming in the right environment. The years of running away from Cersei, Stannis and Melisandre have made him tougher, smarter. In a period of four moons, he has learnt almost everything about being a proper Lord. Some of the members of her Small Counsil are openly gaping at him during meetings, astounded by his regal posture and astute observations. Ser Davos is looking at him more like a proud father, and Daenerys smirks inwardly every time Gendry defends her choices with passion in front of the Lords.

_Robert Baratheon, you old fool. If only you were a fly on the wall right now. If only you could see me with your heir._

Still, she can sense he is attached to a very specific part of his past. She has her way to make him forget it, though.

_Winter will come for you,too, Arya Stark._

* * *

"I hope you like the lessons and your accommodation here in Red Keep, Gendry. How do you fare so far?"

"Very well, Your Grace! I still can't believe you have done all these things for me. Considering our terrible family history..."

"Your father's sins are not yours to pay, Gendry. How many times will I have to tell you, you are nothing like him? You are already ten times better a Lord than he could have ever become. I sometimes look at you, and how far you have come, and I can hardly bring myself to believe you are actually his son."

"Well ,the same can be said for you,too, Your Grace." His eyes widen comically when he realises what he has just said. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Dany laughs and motions him to sit down on one of the countless benches of the Royal Garden. "Don't worry. I have long taken the blinkers off. I know who my father was. That's why I can understand what a second chance means. A second chance not for them, but for us. To clean up the mess they left behind, to leave the world a better place than we found it after them."

Gendry nods, relieved that she hasn't gotten angry with him. "I couldn't agree more. This is why I accepted your offer in the first place."

"And yet, I feel you have been keeping something from me, cousin."

"What do you mean, Your Grace?"

"These formalities are not necessary anymore between us. You can call me by my given name. As for what I mean... I have been observing you for some time, you know. It seems like you miss something. Or someone. When everyone mingles with their partners, you choose to withdraw in your private chambers. Do you feel lonely?"

He flushes and sighs. "Well...Yes. Yes, you are right. There was a girl I loved dearly once. A girl I let go."

"We are talking about Arya Stark, aren't we? Jon's sister. I remember you had told me how the two of you lived on the run for some time."

"Yes. It's her. I think... I am still in love with her. And the worst thing is, I don't know where she may be right now. She might have fled to Essos, in the Free Cities, as she had told me. She may be long dead. Gods... I miss her. I was such a fool, I never told her how I felt. I never told her I wanted to keep her by my side. Now, I may have lost her forever."

"What if I told you I know about her current status and whereabouts?"

Gendry's face is half happy, half surprised. "You do?! I, I mean, how?"

"Come on, cousin. I had been the Empress of Essos long before I was crowned Queen of Westeros. As any sensible ruler, I had planted spies everywhere. Imagine my surprise when I was informed that Arya Stark had joined the Faceless Men in Braavos."

"Faceless Men? Are these... Are these the secret assassins Maester Lucien mentioned?"

_Ah, my faithful Maester. I have to reward him later for his little help in my plans._

"Yes, Gendry. The only God they know is Death. When they complete their training and become full-fledged killers, they have the ability to carve out people's faces and wear them, thus looking exactly like their victims."

All colour drains from Gendry's face, when the reality hits him like a ton of bricks. "And... She went there to become one of them? But why?"

"Arya Stark had a score to settle with the Lannisters and the Freys. Unfortunately for her, I eliminated the Lannisters for her. But not the Freys. Truth is, I had been looking for ways of punishing them for their crimes at the Red Wedding. But Arya got there before me, it seems."

"How so?"

Daenerys takes the letter Varys' little birds sent her yesterday morning out of the folds of her dress and gives it to Gendry. "This arrived yesterday. Seems I have a problem less to deal with."

Gendry takes the parchment and starts reading. When he finishes, his hands drop to his sides, his face paler than the piece of paper he is holding.

"She killed them all...It...It can't be..."

_Now it's time. Act fast._

She fakes a sad sigh and takes his hands into hers, squeezing them softly. "I am afraid it can be. Arya killed Walder Frey, his illegitimate sons and then poisoned all the male members of House Frey. She only left the women unharmed."

The poor man's voice is trembling. "Even...even the kids?"

"I can't say for certain. I am still waiting for the full report to arrive. But still. The atrocity remains. For Walder and his sons, I can understand. I have burnt people for less. But she didn't stop there. She killed all their soldiers. And I know for a fact, that not all of them had participated in the events of the Red Wedding. She showed no mercy. She left children without fathers. Women without husbands. I dare say, she is not Arya Stark anymore. She has fully embraced the role of a Faceless Man. A true Stark, Ned Stark's daughter would have never done this."

Gendry seems lost in his own world, and she can totally understand his pain and conflict. It's not every day that you discover the person you love the most was nothing but a mask.

"I assume... I assume she is heading back to Winterfell now. She must be. Everyone knows by now that the North is free from the Boltons."

"Yes, she is. My birds told me so. She is returning to her home. And putting everyone she loves in danger."

"What do you mean?"

"Since you don't know she had joined the Faceless Men, I presume you also don't know how she left. No one is allowed to simply walk away from the assassins, once they complete their training. And Arya commited a serious sacrilege. She killed one of them and left, declaring she was over and done with them. It doesn't work that way, Gendry. The Faceless Men are notorious for collecting their debts. Arya may think she is safe from them, now that she is in Westeros again, but their members are hidden literally everywhere in the world. Waiting for a single raven from their leader. If she goes to Winterfell, all her family will become the perfect targets."

"If that is true, we have to warn the Starks. They are in grave danger."

"Don't worry. I will talk to Jon soon. Right now, however, I am more worried about you. You seem quite shaken, dear."

"Am I supposed to feel otherwise? I have just learnt the girl I loved became a ruthless killer. I... I am not sure we belong together anymore."

"Well, you can always send a letter and talk to her. Hear her own side of the story. I doubt she will tell you anything different, though. To be honest, I don't believe Arya Stark is the ideal woman to stand by your side, Gendry. Not because she is an assassin; we all have blood in our hands, after all. But because it's obvious she has no emotions other than hate and rage. Not to mention she would put us all in grave danger. Supposing the army of the dead cross the Wall and we head North to defeat them, who knows if there is a Faceless assassin amongst us? How can we trust such a woman? No matter her reasons, she is an oathbreaker. Do you trust her to sleep by your side for the rest of your lives?"

There is a look of resignation in Gendry's eyes, but also a newfound determination. "You are right, Daenerys. I have to think rationally, not impulsively. I also have to think my people in Storm's End. I am their Lord now, and as such, I have to make the best decisions for them. I'm not so sure anymore that marrying Arya is included in said decisions."

Daenerys only smiles kindly. "I expected nothing less of you, cousin. I am fairly confident you will make the best decisions."

_Well, for me, at least._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the surgery did go well!!! I am still on the long way of recovery, and I got to admit, my intestines probably think I am a newborn baby... No worries though!!! I have been battling Crohn's disease since I was 11, and, after so many years and two surgeries, I dare to hope. Thank you all for your reviews so far and your patience!!! This chapter is for all of you!!!


	9. JON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpected news arrive at the Red Keep for Jon, while he has to battle his growing attraction to Daenerys, his mysterious bond with her child and some terrifying dreams...

His extended stay in King's Landing has been proved much more useful than he originally thought it to be. Although he is still confused with the reveal of his true parentage and still struggling with it, his days with the Targaryen family are the most serene of his life so far.

_Especially the days with Daenerys and Saraphine..._

Whenever the young queen - _his aunt, _he has to constantly remind himself, albeit with great reluctance- decides to go outside the confines of the Red Keep and mingle with the common people - her people-, he always follows. Not that she needs the protection; four members of her Queensguard are more than enough, combined with her battle skills, despite Tyrion's protests. But he is curious to witness firsthand the influence Daenerys has on those who follow her; he wants to see why so many people adore her, in both Westeros and Essos alike.

She doesn't disappoint.

Jon can hardly believe his eyes when he sees how the people of King's Landing look at their Queen. With such adoration and admiration, with hope. She has no problem spending time with them, visiting them inside their houses, playing with the children, listening to their problems. Her guards are constantly worrying, but she doesn't seem to care.

_"What kind of mother would I be, if I were afraid of my own children?"_

Tyrion had once told him her people in Meereen called her,and still call her, Mhysa, which means mother. Daenerys has proved herself to be a true mother to her people, and so much more. In the short period of time she is Queen, she has managed to do a tremendous job with the capital, but also with each Kingdom. More orphanages have been built, more hospitals recruited with the best Maesters Citadel has. He also heard of a plan of rebuilding a Sept, in the place of the Sept of Baelor that Cersei destroyed, but also temples for R' Lhorr and for the Dornish Gods. As for each Kingdom individually, Westerlands, Dorne and the Iron Islands have new rulers, the Stormlands are finally at peace and the Reach has taken its rightful place back, with Lady Olenna being Hand of the Queen and Willas being King Consort.

_Only the North is left behind. But then again, it was our decision to declare independence. So be it._

Of course, Daenerys honoured her alliances with Yara Greyjoy and Arianne Martell, letting their regions become independent. However, the Reach, the Iron Islands and Dorne have all secured exclusive trade privileges with Essos, something that Daenerys personally strived for. With such a help, it's difficult to say if they are truly independent.

_A Queen Mother, indeed. She definitely has a taste for power..._

_"Of course she is strong", _Tyrion had told him with pride one night, in his private solar. _"What kind of woman would defy the slave masters and free three of the greatest cities in Essos? She is strong; what other choice did she have? She was sold to her Dothraki husband when she was barely 15. Dothraki despise weakness. She survived, didn't she? If she were like the Westerosi ladies, if she were like my sister, she would have been dead by now. She may be the last pureblood Targaryen, but is already one of the most worthy of them. Who would have thought... Alyssanne would be proud of her."_

_Is it even possible not to fall in love with such a woman?_

He feels it inside him, that familiar warmth every time Daenerys looks at him with her big violet eyes. He feels it. That dangerous sentiment, growing inside of him every single day. Try as he might, he is losing the fight. 

_She is already married. And you are King in the North. When the Army of the Dead are defeated once and for all, you will go again your seperate ways, and you will be left with a broken heart. Control yourself, Sn- Targaryen._

The fact that he is a Targaryen doesn't help with his inner battles very much. At first, he was appaled that he was attracted to his father's sister, but it stopped bothering him after a while. Incestuous relationships were far from uncommon in Westeros; the Essosi were much more reserved in that matter. Lannisters, Targaryens, Starks, all the great Houses had at least one incestuous marriage or scandal in their history. 

Daenerys herself doesn't seem to understand what kind of effect she has on him. For her, he is her nephew, her last relative apart from her newborn daughter. She treats him with the same kindness she displayed the very first days of their meeting -_in spite of you behaving like a total prat. _ They have formed a tentative friendship, and the Queen seems to trust him in matters of the State.

* * *

As he is getting dressed for the day ahead, Jon can't help but think the other aspect of his relationship with Daenerys.

_Princess Saraphine._

From the moment he first held the baby girl in his arms and she opened her tiny eyes to look at him, he has been under her spell. Their bond is so inexplicably strong, it almost feels like the princess has him tied with her. Whenever he visits Daenerys in her chambers and the baby is crying, he goes straight to the crib and lifts her in his arms, soothing her in a way he didn't know he could. Soothing a fussy baby was definitely not in the list of things he was taught at Castle Black, but it has come so naturally...

_Who knows. Maybe it's our shared blood. A dragon calling the other._

Indeed, little Saraphine is the happiest when she is with her mother and him. Their voices combined seem to have a relaxing effect on the energetic little dragon, and Daenerys seemed surprised and emotional in equal parts when he sang to the baby for the first time.

_"You have such a beautiful voice. Like your father."_

* * *

Jon is ready when Ser Davos enters his room, a huge smile on his face. "Good morning, Your Grace."

"That's a very big smile you are wearing, for so early in the morning. Something good?"

"More than good. Remember Robert Baratheon's son I had told you about? Gendry?"

"Yes. You seemed quite fond of him."

"Guess where he is now."

"I'm afraid you have to help me here."

Davos' smile grows even more. "Here! In Red Keep! Queen Daenerys legitimised him, made him Lord of the Stormlands and now he is being educated by the palace's Maester!"

"Well... That's impressive. She is merciful towards the son of the man who hunted her for almost all her childhood."

Davos rolls his eyes. "Come on, lad. Do you really think it's a fluke? She has two Lannisters in Court, both of them in her Small Counsil, and made one of them Co-Governor of Essos. I dare say she is more merciful than Westeros deserves."

"That's a good attribute for a ruler. Strong and unyielding, but merciful. Westeros couldn't have asked for a better Queen."

"An, that woman... She must be a witch. She has every man in this land wrapped around her little finger. I am almost sure that both Lannister brothers are in love with her. Tyrion is much more discreet, but Ser Jaime is another case. He never takes his eyes off his Queen, doesn't he? And let's not talk about her Tyrell husband."

Jon shakes his head in annoyance, trying to silence the snake of jealousy that crawls inside his heart. "Nonsence. The Kingslayer loved only his sister. There is no way he has fallen in love with her after such a short period of time. Daenerys executed the woman, for Gods' sake. Plus, I don't think every man in Westeros is in love with her. Are you, Ser?"

Davos eyes him knowningly, with that look of him that silently says _I don't buy your shit. _ "Well, I am not. But I know for a fact many young Lords are besotted with her. Who would be immune to such a charming woman? Beauty, wits, determination, passion... A true dragon."

"Come on, Ser Davos. We have work to do. Let's leave the gossip for later."

"As you wish, Your Grace."

* * *

When they pass in front of Daenerys' chambers, they hear a loud baby cry coming from inside.

Jon's heart clenches. _Saraphine... _Unknowningly, his hand reaches for the door knob.

Davos tries to stop him, worry etched on his features. "Your Grace, what are you doing?!"

"Are you deaf, Davos? The poor baby is inconsolable. Someone has to..."

"Yes, someone has to! Her nannies, her mother, some servant. Not you!"

"She instantly calms when I take her into my arms or sing to her. I have to go."

Ignoring the incredulous look from his Hand, Jon strides inside Daenerys' room. Missandei, her other Hand, is trying to calm the princess down, without much success so far. The child is red in the face and something tells him she is close to throwing a tantrum.

"Good morning, Lady Missandei."

The woman is startled and clenches the baby in her arms, immediately making her scream louder. "Your-Your Grace! What are you doing here?"

"I heard Her Highness crying." Tentatively, he walks towards Missandei. At that exact moment, the baby stops crying and looks him straight in the eyes, some left tears rolling on her chubby cheeks.

_Those eyes... So much like my own..._

"I think I can help, Lady Missandei. I often sing to her and it calms her. May I?"

The Hand of the Queen seems scared for a moment, but handles him the baby girl, who is now whimpering and rubbing her eyes. When Saraphine is in his arms, Jon feels that familiar pull again. He chooses to ignore it and starts singing instead, his voice filling the room for a while.

Everything around him fades for a while. And the pull towards the princess becomes more insistent, shaking the core of his existence.

_I know you. I have no idea how, but I know you._

"Missandei, is everything alright? The servants told me she can't..."

Daenerys' voice startles Jon from his reverie and he abruptly turns his head towards the Queen. The worried look on her face is enough to put him in shame. Quickly but reluctantly, Jon handles Daenerys her daughter.

"I am so sorry for the intrusion. I was just passing with Davos and I heard her crying, and... I just couldn't. I had to help. You know my voice helps her..."

Daenerys' look softens and a small smile graces her face. "It's alright, Jon. I am sure you had no bad intentions." She turns to both their Hands. "Missandei, Ser Davos. Could you please leave us alone for a while?"

Both of them bow deeply and get out of the room. Once they are out, he speaks again. "I won't repeat it, I swear. I will ask your permission first."

"I am not mad at you, Jon. I am just... How can I say it... Cautious. I want her to never experience the awful childhood I had. Would I sound hysterical if I told you I'm always worried about her safety?"

Sympathy and understanding overwhelm him. "You are talking to the former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Constant vigilance, these are the words you seek. Am I wrong?"

The young Queen smiles sadly. "Yes. Unfortunately, I have learnt that betrayal comes from those you trust and love the most, and from those you have offered the greatest service. This is how I lost my first child. I was young, naive. I thought my kindness would be repaid..."

_Well, this is new. Did she have a child before Saraphine?_

Before he can ask her more, Daenerys composes herself and regains her regal posture. "I almost forgot. This letter arrived from Winterfell today, for you of course. Excuse me, but I have to put Saraphine back to sleep. Have a nice day, King Jon."

Taking that as his cue to leave, Jon bows his head. "You too, Queen Daenerys."

* * *

His heart is beating uncontrollably inside his chest. This is the best news he had had for a while.

_Arya is back. Bran is back._

He has to return to Winterfell now. He hasn't seen them for so many years... Reuniting with Sansa was nice, but Arya was always his favourite, and little Bran was so eager to learn from him...

When he announces his imminent departure to Daenerys, she only smiles kindly. "I understand. Family is the most important thing in the world. You don't need my permission to leave, Jon, you are a King. Just let me know what kind of supplies you need for your journey."

* * *

_The man standing in front of him looks like a copy of himself, but...changed. Blue eyes, pale skin, nails like talons. As if he is..._

_Dread fills his guts as he realises what he has in front of him._

_The Night King. Before he became a monster completely._

_"But why...? Why does he look so much like me?"_

_The monster doesn't even hear him. It's as if Jon is invisible to him. He has his eyes focused somewhere in front of him instead, filled with despair._

_Fearing for what he will outface when he turns around, Jon dares to look behind him. And the sight is almost enough to bring him on his knees._

_There is a woman behind him, a young woman that looks exactly like Daenerys. Her beautiful purple eyes are filled with tears and she is holding a small bundle in her arms. Suddenly, a little hand comes out of the bundle and a small whimper echoes in the frozen wasteland._

_A baby..._

_"Stay away from us!" The woman is trembling with rage and pain, tears marring her perfect face. "I told you not to go! I warned you, Robard!"_

_The Night King, whose name was obviously Robard once, takes some steps towards the woman, his hands trembling, his eyes filled with endless sadness. "Daenys, please... It's still me. It's me, Robard. Your Robard. Please, let me..."_

_"No. No. You're not my Robard. And if you still are, you will soon stop being him. You are a monster now. One of them. Their servant." Daenys looks up in the sky, and a giant red dragon lands on the ground, snorting fire and screeching menacingly to Robard. "You made your choice, I will make mine. I will protect our child at all costs. Even from you."_

_Robard becomes desperate, his steps quicker and wider. "No, please don't. Don't take her away from me. You are all I have."_

_"Perhaps you should have realised it sooner. Before associating yourself with that filth." Daenys climbs on the red dragon, her eyes always glued to the man she loved once. "Goodbye, Robard."_

_"Daenys, no!" _

_It's too late for begging, though. The red dragon rises from the ground and flies to the East, far away from Jon and Robard._

_"I will destroy you." Robard's voice makes Jon's blood freeze in his veins. "I will destroy you, even if that means destroying myself. In a year or a thousand years, I will have my revenge, Gods."_

* * *

Although Jon starts his day as usual, he can't ignore the sense of dread that plagues him since he woke up from that horrible nightmare.

_What does it mean? Why now? Why should I know who he was before... Before someone transformed him..._

_Who does he want to destroy? Which Gods?_

Later during the day, as he is supervising the preperations for the journey to the North, a servant girl comes running towards him, breathless.

"Your Grace! This letter arrived today for both Queen Daenerys and you. It's from Castle Black."

When he opens the letter,he wishes he had never read it.

* * *

His feet have never carried him faster towards the Throne Room. When he finally arrives, he finds Daenerys already there, waiting for him, a sad smile on her face.

"It has begun, Jon."


	10. DAENERYS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rather small chapter, more of a filler for what's coming next. Hope you like it :)

Since that dreadful letter arrived, she hasn't managed a night of proper sleep. Her mysterious nightmares with the young couple, Robard and Daenys, are becoming more frequent and intense, and her High Priestess remains silent behind cryptic words.

_It's too soon yet. You will discover the meaning of those dreams in time. But not now._

She knows they will have to depart for Winterfell soon. From what her scouts reported, the Night King hasn't destroyed the Wall yet, but he is actively trying to. Sooner or later, he will find the way. From what Kinvara has told her so far, the monster will finally be able to dissolve the magic that had been keeping him and his army in the Lands of Always Winter for so many centuries, due to his connection with Bran Stark.

_If one of them passes the Wall successfully, the other will follow. Bran Stark is marked with the essence of the Great Other. Since he has passed the Wall he has already done a great damage to the ancient magic._

Everyone seems to be walking on hot coals. Tyrion has made it his personal mission to empty every barrel of wine available in Westeros since he heard about the White Walkers. Willas has been preparing the Tyrell army, Jaime has also gathered the Lannister soldiers. Their combined forces are approximately 120,000 men, not to mention her own Unsullied and Dothraki...

_This time, everything will be different. This time, I won't allow my people to become meat for the White Walkers. I am fighting with the North, not **for **the North._

She had blindly followed Jon's battle plans in that horrible previous lifetime, like a fool. She won't make that mistake again. Not for ungrateful, prejudiced rats who spat in her mere presence. And certainly not for the wretched Starks. 

_They have their father's name, they call themselves his children, but they are nothing like him._

This is another part of the journey she is afraid of. She's not afraid of the Starks, because now she knows how to deal with them. She is afraid her hatred will be too obvious.

_Be smart, Stormborn. Be smart and cunning. For yourself, your people, your daughter. Play the game, like Cersei did._

_Like Littlefinger._

_Like Sansa Stark._

* * *

It's three days before they start their journey north that Daenerys makes the final arrangements for all those she leaves behind. And for those that have followed her for so long.

Missandei and Grey Worm seem genuinely perplexed when she calls them in her private solar that morning. 

"Is there a matter of urgency, Your Grace?"

Dany only smiles. "You could say so, Missandei. As you both know, war is coming. A war like no other. Grey Worm will come with me, but you won't. I won't allow any harm to come to you. Not if I can help it. Missandei, you will go South, to Dragonstone, with Saraphine, and a small team consisting of my Unsullied and Dothraki warriors. I need you to stay safe. At all costs."

"But, Your Grace..."

"No buts, Missandei." A lump forms in her throat. "Not this time. _Not again. Please._"

Her Missandei, her sweet, loyal Missandei simply nods, but she can clearly see the tears forming in her eyes. For once more, she will obey her Queen.

Trembling with a million emotions inside her, she stands up from her chair and takes two parchments in her hands, handling them to her oldest friends. "For so many years, you both have served me, advised me, protected me. But first and foremost, you have been the family I never met, along with Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan. Let it be known that the Targaryens pay their dues. From today, till the last of your days, you are officially members of House Targaryen. And you, Missandei Targaryen..." she turns to her best friend and sister, who can no longer hold back her tears now "...you will be Saraphine's legal guardian, shall anything happen to me and Willas. If we both die at this war, you will raise the future Queen of Westeros. You will also have the title of Queen Consort, until Saraphine comes of age to take over her queenly duties."

Both her friends seem at a loss for words, Missandei crying softly and Grey Worm looking at his Queen with wide eyes. Soon, though, her loyal Commander recovers from the shock and drops to one knee.

"Grey Worm of House Targaryen will always be loyal to Daenerys Stormborn, from this day to his last day. His sword is hers, his life is hers."

Missandei also finds her voice, although it's trembling and barely audible. "I can't remember my family anymore. I can barely recall how they looked like. But it matters not, for I have found another. I have a new home... And a new sister. I am proud to be considered your sister."

Not trusting herself to stay calm and collected in front of them, Dany merely nods and hugs Missandei fiercely. Grey Worm joins them after some seconds, putting his hands on their shoulders, his own way of showing his concern and offering some comfort in that milestone of their lives.

Nor she will ever forget Missandei's whisper before they seperate.

_"Fire and Blood, Daenerys Stormborn. Show the world what it means to be a dragon."_

* * *

"How are my dragons, Kinvara? Are they healthy, are they growing?"

The priestess smiles. "They are healthy, my Queen. They are growing thanks to my potions. The newborn ones are almost as big as Viserion now. The females are the most vicious, their fire burns strong."

Daenerys smirks. "Aren't the females always the strongest ones?"

"Most times, yes." Kinvara makes a small pause, hesitating. "My Queen, there is something else we must discuss. It's not about the dragons."

"You know you have my full trust. Speak freely."

"It's about Lord Varys. Since Lord Snow arrived, he somehow learnt from his little birds that you had received several documents from Citadel. He doesn't know what they are about, of course, and he hasn't discovered them yet. But I saw him searching in your solar one night."

Her blood boils in her veins, she almost sees red. She had been a fool to give him a second chance, it seems. 

_That man has it in his blood. He can't change._

"He tried to poison me when I was pregnant with Rhaego. I forgave him. He tried to poison me once more, after I lost Missandei and Rhaegal. I didn't forgive him then." She almost doesn't recognise the sound of her own voice, so cold and firm. "I won't forgive him now either."

Kinvara bows dutifully before her. "I am at your service, Your Grace."

"Very well. See to that he is dead shortly after I leave for the North. If I am far away from King's Landing, I will have the excuse I couldn't react properly. As for his little birds, gather them and make it clear they must be loyal to me only. Otherwise, they will have their master's fate."

"Your word is my command, Daenerys Stormborn. I will leave orders to my priests before we leave. I believe a deadly, undetectable poison is the best solution."

"I don't care how he'll die. As long as he will."

And without another word, Daenerys leaves Kinvara's room.

* * *

"I trust our armies are ready for battle. Willas?"

Her husband nods affirmatively, his attention focused on the map of Westeros. This is the last Small Counsil she will have before they depart. "The Tyrell army is ready. A part of our forces is here in King's Landing, along with the Lannister army. The rest of them will stay in Reach, if the unthinkable happens and we lose the battle with the Army of the Dead."

Ser Jaime speaks next. "Same for us, Your Grace. The Lannisters are ready to fight, but a part of the army has stayed in Westerlands, just like you commanded."

"Lady Olenna, what about our supplies?"

"Everything is ready, Your Grace. Our armies will have no problems of nutrition. The three Maesters from Citadel have arrived as well."

She exhales in relief. "I believe we are ready to depart, then. The King in the North leaves in four days. We are leaving with him."

* * *

After the Small Counsil, Kinvara approaches her. "One last thing before we leave, my Queen."

Curious as to what she may want, Daenerys follows her. They arrive at the Queen's chambers and Kinvara goes straight to the crib, where Saraphine is sleeping peacefully.

Her eyes are glowing with a bright golden colour when she looks at Daenerys again. "In the previous lifetime, the Night King wasn't killed properly. Arya Stark's dragonglass dagger wasn't enough. The Night King's soul would have passed inside Brandon Stark's body, through the mark he had given him. And humanity would be doomed. For good."

A violent shiver travels up from her spine to her toes. "What does this have to do with me?"

"The only weapon capable of killing the Great Other, who lives through the Night King and Brandon Stark, is the Lightbringer. Yielded by Azor Ahai, the chosen of the Lord of the Light, and forged with the blood of the most precious person in Azor's life. You are Azor Ahai, Daenerys Stormborn. And the Lightbringer will be forged with the most precious blood."

Daenerys feels like she is suffocating. _She can't possibly mean..._

Kinvara smiles sympathetically. "I won't kill your daughter, my Queen. As I said, I only need her blood. A few drops only, to be exact."

When she finds her voice again, she asks the last question. "From what I recall, the Lightbringer must be a Valyrian Steel sword. I suppose you have made one for me?"

"Not made. Found." The red priestess suddenly unseathes a sword from somewhere behind her and offers it to her, bowing respectfully. "From a great Targaryen woman, to another. Buried deep in the dragonglass caves of Dragonstone, safe from hungry hands for centuries. Dark Sister, of Queen Visenya."

Daenerys can't help but gasp at the sight of the marvellous sword. It's made with a strange black mettal and has a silver three-headed dragon pommel, a big ruby glued on the top. _A sword for Targaryens._

Tentatively, Kinvara takes the sword back and goes to Saraphine. Using a tiny needle, she pierces one of her fingers, startling the baby and making her whimper softly. The small wound heals immediately, but not before her daughter's blood falls on the blade.

In front of her astounded stare, the sword is set on fire, emitting pure red flames. Kinvara gives it back to her, her eyes becoming blue again.

"Behold, the Lightbringer. A gift from our Lord to Daenerys Targaryen, Azor Ahai reborn, Mistress of Fire."

* * *

Much to everyone's surprise, Daenerys decides to travel on dragonback, with Drogon and the rest of her children. Last time, she had made the mistake of arriving side by side with Jon. Just to please the Starks and the Northmen, just to show them they had nothing to be afraid of.

_You'll be afraid of me now. I'll make sure of it._

Before she climbed on her faithful child, Lady Olenna gave her one last advice. She,too, wanted to travel North and accompany her grandson and her Queen, and no one had managed to change the stubborn woman's mind.

_"Remember who you are, Daenerys. Don't forget you are a dragon. And if those people treat you like an enemy, believe them. Do they want an enemy? Give them one they shall never forget."_

* * *

It's been a long, arduous journey. Staying true to her word, she spends almost all the days of travelling on Drogon, getting down only to eat and sleep. Alas, she is a Targaryen.

_Alyssanne arrived at Winterfell on dragonback as well. If she did it, I am totally capable,too._

Finally, the ancestral seat of the Starks is in front of them. Shouting in High Valyrian and Dothraki to her armies, she orders them to go forward. She will arrive last with her dragons. All thirteen of them.

When some of the Northmen see the dragons from afar, they start scattering and shouting like children. Daenerys can't help but smirk at their reactions.

_You haven't seen anything yet._

Her advisors and her husband get down from their horses first, along with Jon, and her nephew introduces them to his siblings. She can't hear their discussion and the pleasantries exchanged, but she has to get down as well.

Silently commanding Drogon, they land on the snowy ground, the great beast making the earth shake with his huge body. Some of her other dragons follow suit, landing to Drogon's left and right, while the others stay in the air, their screeches killing every other sound.

The Stark sisters seem to have their eyes on her, unable to form a single word. It takes every ounce of self control she has to refrain from looking at the traitors with a look of pure hatred.

_They must know nothing. They mustn't suspect a single thing._

Slowly but purposefully, shining in her black Valyrian Steel armor, Daenerys walks towards the last of the Starks. A radiant smile graces her lips, as she finally stands in front of the family.

"Lady Sansa. Lady Arya. Lord Brandon. It is an honour to finally meet you all."


	11. DAENERYS

The Starks seem to have temporarily lost their voice, so she decides to dissolve the awkward situation.

"My brother had told me many stories about Westeros, but, unfortunately, he didn't know much about Winterfell. And even if he knew, words can't do justice to such a beautiful place. Your home is truly magificent."

Sansa is ready to speak first, but Arya interrupts her, unable to hide the excitement in her tone. "Are all these dragons yours, Queen Daenerys?"

Daenerys grants her her most dazzling smile. "They are, Lady Stark. I hatched them all by myself." Then, she raises her voice. "This is how I earned two of my titles, the Unburnt and Mistress of Fire. I put the eggs inside a pyre, I stepped in and I hatched my dragons."

Murmurs of appreciation and awe fill the air, but not for long before Sansa speaks. "Welcome to Winterfell, Your Grace. I see my brother has convinced you to join our cause."

"I couldn't ignore the great evil that hangs upon us, Lady Sansa. Your brother has seen it, my own scouts beyond the Wall have seen it. It is our common duty to erase the threat of the Night King, once and for all."

Jon interrupts them. "Well, we are all tired from our journey. I suggest we move inside and rest. As for the Queen's troops, they will soon camp."

"An excellent idea, Your Grace." Lady Olenna answers. "We all need our rest, then we can start forming our battle plans."

* * *

She has barely washed her face and hands in her room when her Unsullied guards step inside and bow respectfully.

_"Arya Stark wishes to talk with you, Your Grace."_

_Well, well... This is quite the unexpected development..._

_"Let her in, but be prepared for my call if need be. The woman is dangerous. She has trained in Braavos."_

The guards nod, before opening the door to Arya and stepping outside. 

Surprisingly, the young girl doesn't seem suspicious or hostile against Daenerys. Perhaps it was the emphatic entrance, perhaps she decided to know her personally this time and not blindly follow her sister's opinion, but Arya is genuinely curious to meet her.

As if suddenly remembering her manners- _or lack thereof, _Daenerys muses sarcastically- Arya bows in front of her. "Welcome to Wintefell, Your Grace."

"Thank you, Lady Arya. I am deeply grateful for your hospitality."

Arya scrunches up her nose in annoyance. "Please, drop the formalities. I am no Lady."

"That's right. Your brother is the King. That makes you a princess. Your Highness then?"

The younger woman looks horrified now, so Daenerys decides to let a small chuckle. "I understand what you mean. You don't want to be adressed as Lady, and it's perfectly fine. However, being a Lady is not just a title. It means being responsible for your people's wellbeing, caring about their food, their clothing, their jobs, their education. I believe that you are perfectly capable of doing those things."

Arya suddenly frowns. "I never saw it that way. I always thought being a Lady means wearing boring dresses, having boring sewing lessons, marrying a boring Lord."

"I can reassure you, it's not only these things. I know it first hand."

"But you are not a Lady. You are a Queen." 

"Yes, I am. I have been for some years. But I have also been a beggar on the streets, a terrified child who was always hungry and thirsty. Becoming a Queen wasn't my primary purpose in life. Only when I saw how people suffer under cruel rulers, did I decide to become the Queen they needed. Because I understood their suffering. And don't think for a moment that being a Queen means less problems. _Heavy is the head that wears the crown, _don't they say?"

A small smile appears on Arya's face. "True. I am certain my brother faces the same probems as well."

"Even more so. It can't be very easy to convince your vassal Lords that an army of undead corpses want to conquer Westeros, can it?"

"It's not only this. Most of them question his rule, simply because he is not a legitimate heir. I have heard them whispering behind our backs. They were afraid that he would bend the knee to you."

"I would never force him to bend the knee. Not when such a danger threatens all of us. Besides, I value your decision to remain independent." She narrows her eyes, but remains polite. "If the Lords chose for the North to be independent, then they must know such a decision is realizable. Who am I to judge them?"

Arya shifts nervously on her feet. "Anyway... I didn't come here to to discuss politics. Jon and Sansa are far better at this than me. I wanted to know you... and learn more about your dragons. The Targaryen dragon riders were fascinating. But it's different to read about them in books, when you have one of them alive in front of you."

Daenerys smiles politely. "Well... How can I properly describe it? Just like the Starks used to have their direwolves, Targaryens had their dragons. It's the same bond. Each rider bonds with only one dragon, but that doesn't mean my own dragons don't obey me. In a sense, I am their mother. The dragons are no slaves, though. Just because I hatched them, doesn't mean they don't have their own will."

"How is it to ride a dragon?"

For a moment, she allows herself to be just Dany. "It gives you the sense of absolute freedom. And absolute power. It's easy to get lost in the feeling. Having dragons is a form of security, but also a great responsibility."

Arya sighs wistfully. "I used to dream I was Queen Visenya. With her dragon Vhagar and her great sword." Then, she turns hesitative. "Could you bring me to them, so I can meet them?"

"I believe I can. I warn you, though, they are not tame creatures, like your brother's direwolf. I can let you approach them, but it's up to them if they want to let you touch them. So far, they have let only me and Lord Tyrion."

The girl looks disappointed for a moment, but then she regains her composure. "Thank you. I know I am asking too much. It was nice to have a talk with you. And I am also grateful for your help in this war. I don't care what the Lords might say, but thirteen dragons and a vast army are more necessary than we are willing to admit. I will let you rest now."

"It was nice to talk with you as well, Arya. I hope we can know each other better as time passes."

With a small smile, Arya bows again and exits the room.

_Let's see if you prove yourself better than your sister this time._

* * *

After they rest for a while, it's time for the first official dinner with the Lords and the Starks. Jon is the one who sits in the middle this time, Daenerys has sat on his right and his siblings on his left. Next to Daenerys is Willas, Lady Olenna, Grey Worm, Jorah, Jaime and Daario.

She chose to leave Tyrion behind this time. _Who knows what he would do again with his big mouth._

Willas stands up to make the first toast. "To King Jon and Queen Daenerys. To the North. May the Gods be with us in this war."

The Lords toast as well, although some of them not so enthusiastically. But this time, she doesn't care about their pettiness and racism towards her and her people. 

_I am not here to prove anything. Last time, I freely offered my help and they paid me back with nothing but spits and conspiracies. They had their chance._

As expected, Sansa speaks first. "Your Grace, we are grateful for your help. Although I have to inform you, our provisions are not enough for all the soldiers. They are barely adequate for our own people, to be honest. How do you plan to feed all the armies you brought?"

Jon looks at his sister with bewilderment and anger. "Sansa, I think this conversation can wait for later."

"No, no. It's fine, Your Grace. Lady Stark has made a good point. There is no need to worry for my armies, I assure you. I have brought my own supplies from King's Landing, and Lady Olenna has also gifted us grains from the Reach and healing herbs. Moreover, Citadel has sent us three Maesters, for the wounded and the sick.If need be, we will share our supplies with the North. But you don't have to worry, Lady Stark. We will be no burden to your people." Then she smiles sardonically. "Besides... some Lords in Westeros call me Aegon the Conqueror reborn. In a sense, that's true. I have been gathering armies since I was 17. If I didn't know how to feed them, I wouldn't be Queen of the Six Kingdoms now."

That is enough to silence Sansa for now, and the scowl in her features makes Daenerys feel even better. When she finishes her explanations, a little girl stands up.

"Your Grace. I am Lady Mormont of Bear Island.

"It is an honour to meet you, Lady Mormont."

"You said you are Queen of the Six Kingdoms. Not the Seven. Does that mean you will let the North retain its independence?"

"Well, Jon Snow came to me as King and he has returned as King. If I wanted the North to bend the knee, I would have already done it. But I recognise that the North has suffered a great deal the recent years. You fought hard for your independence. You are free now. And freedom means making your own choices. I trust that you have the wisdom and the experience to decide what's best for you and your people. If being independent is the best solution, so be it. I won't take it from you."

Lyanna Mormont smirks. "I now see why your people in Essos chose you. Many tales of your conquests have reached us, you know. And yet, somehow, you are even better than they have described you at times."

Daenerys only smiles. "King Jon and I have thoroughly discussed the matters of your independence. He will inform you later, if you need further explanations. For now, we should focus on our battle plans against the White Walkers. Please excuse me and my advisors, but we need to rest. Have a good evening."

Jon stands up immediately. "Do you need me to escort you to your chambers?"

"No need, Your Grace. Stay among your people. I am sure they have many questions."

Without another word, she exits the Great Hall.

* * *

The next day, she finds herself in the training yard, sparring with Grey Worm, Willas and Jorah. She becomes better and better, but training is also a way to get distracted from all the problems; the Night King, her relationship with the Northmen, missing Saraphine.

Being apart from her daughter is very hard, harder than she had expected. She fervently hopes she is ready to defeat the Night King, although the problem with Bran Stark and his own plans remains, but she can't fail. They can't fail. Her daughter will live in a better world, a world without fear, without the Great Other.

_Please, Lord, please protect my daughter. She is everything I have. You saved us for a reason... Please, keep her safe... Help me kill that monster._

When they finish, she sees some of the Northmen looking at her with reluctant admiration. Alas, she doesn't seek their approval or love anymore. She gives her training sword to Grey Worm and heads inside the castle, towards her room.

Her Unsullied guards are already waiting for her outside her door and that surprises her. _"What is going on?"_

_"The other sister of the King says she wants to talk with you. She is waiting for you inside."_

_"Very well. Guard the door."_

Indeed, Sansa is waiting for her, sitting on a chair at the small table of her room. Daenerys had refused to take the King's room, so she chose another one.

"Good morning, Your Grace. I assume you have finished your training."

"For now yes, Lady Stark. We all need to practise for what's coming, though. I can't rely on my dragons to protect me." _Just like I had done in my previous life. Or just like you, who didn't even bother training as your brother had advised everyone to do..._

"Do you plan being on the battlefield?"

"There is no other way. My dragons follow only me, they obey only my commands. No one else can control them. And my child is too young for a battle."

"By the way, congratulations, Your Grace. We were informed with a raven from Citadel that the Six Kingdoms have a new princess."

"Thank you, Lady Stark. Although I don't believe you came here to congratulate me for my daughter, didn't you?"

Sansa's posture becomes rigid and formal, her expression serious. "No. To be frank, Jon told us last night about the independence of the North. You agreed immediately. Don't you have any problem with a kingdom that wants to secede?"

"Why should I have a problem? You fought for your independence and all the Lords seem to agree on this matter. The North had been a free kingdom for many years before Torrhen Stark bent the knee. Times change, though. The North suffered a great deal because of my father's deeds, and then because of Tywin Lannister, Cersei and Robert Baratheon. I respect your decision to secede."

"And why should we believe you? How do we know you won't use your dragons and your armies to take the North, after we defeat the Night King?"

Daenerys does her best not to sneer. "Because if I wanted the North, I would have already taken it. I am not a patient Queen, Lady Stark. And because I would have nothing to gain if I took the North."

Sansa looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"What could I mean? You practically admitted in the Great Hall that you have barely enough provisions for your own people. Everybody knows that the glass gardens were destroyed due to the constant wars, and it will take at least a year for them to be reconstructed. The North never had solid trade with the other Kingdoms or Essos, simply because most of the times you had nothing special to offer. You have no gold, no jewels, no spices, no silk. Just furs and cattle. But I already have these from the Reach and the Stormlands. Moreover, who would accept me in the North as Queen? My father destroyed any good relationships the North had with the Crown. Most of the Northmen still hate the Targaryens. So, please enlighten me, Lady Stark. What would I gain?"

The other woman seems furious. "The North is resilient. We will survive and prosper again. When the winter leaves from our lands, we will stand on our feet again."

"That is such a beautiful dream. I don't know if it is doable, though. Especially if you think you have to pay the Iron Bank first."

All colour drains from Sansa's face. "The Iron Bank? But...how?"

"If you have searched the North's economics, and I'm sure you have, you will have certainly seen about the North's debt. Your father first had taken a small loan, to prepare his lands for the harsh winter. He didn't live to pay it, though. Then, your brother took another loan, a rather big one, to fund his war against the Lannisters. I found copies of the contracts in the Red Keep, and the Iron Bank confirmed it. I hope you will prosper again, as you say, I truly do. How can this happen, though, when you have no resources?"

"We will find the way. Perhaps the other Six Kingdoms can hep us..."

"Do you really take me for a fool, Lady Stark? Did you know about the loans or not?"

"Yes. Yes, both Jon and I knew, but..."

"So, what did you think? What did you expect from me? Did you really expect me to pay your debts and support you, when you are not under my reign? I said it in the Great Hall yesterday, I will say it again now. Freedom means making your own choices and bearing the consequences. If the North has chosen independence, so be it. But you can't expect the rest of Westeros to take the burden of your choices like entitled brats. The other Kingdoms have suffered as well. Or do you think Cersei's mismanagement didn't affect all of the Kingdoms? I have to look after my people. They come first. The Northmen are not my people, they are yours. Your brother has to take care of them. I believe you when you say you will recover. But not at my people's expense. I will help with the trade, maybe I can also reduce the taxes for products coming from your region. Other than that, I can't offer anything else."

Sansa stands up abruptly, anger burning in her eyes. "You have made yourself perfectly clear, Your Grace. Have a good day." And with a hasty bow, she leaves.

Daenerys smirks to herself when she is finally alone. _Just wait and see, Sansa. Just wait and see._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have just seen that our beloved Emilia has become the global ambassador of Clinique!!! How awesome is that!!! 😍😍
> 
> PS. Tomorrow I will be having a colonoscopy. The first one after my bowel surgery. Wish me luck!!!


	12. JON

Two days after their arrival at Winterfell, they start making battle plans. Finally, they have made a solid plan by the end of the week, and Bran reassures them that the Night King hasn't found any way to destroy the magic of the Wall yet.

All of the soldiers- Unsullied, Dothraki, Northmen, Wildlings, men from the Reach and the Westerlands- are working tirelessly together. Unbestknown to most of her advisors, Daenerys had asked Jaime to keep some barrels of wildfire, before they threw the rest into the sea. The soldiers are digging shallow lines in the ground and pouring the green substance inside them, so Daenerys' dragons can ignite it when the wights and White Walkers step in it. 

The Northmen will be in the front line, along with a part of the Lannister army and the army of the Tyrells. The Unsullied will be scattered among them, so they can strike the enemy in more ways than one; the Westerosi soldiers with their swords, the Unsullied with their spears. Only a small part of the Dothraki will be behind the main body of the army, as they are better on horseback than in melee combat. Most of the Dothraki will be in the castle turrets, doing what they know best; hitting the enemy with their arrows.

As for the dragons, Daenerys insisted she ride Drogon on battle and command the other dragons through their connection, along with Kinvara's help. However, she cryptically stated she will get to the ground, _when the time comes._

_What has she planned? Does she want to fight with a sword, like the rest of us?_

After the final meeting, Jon asked her privately in her room if she could teach him how to ride a dragon, in order to help her. She only shook her head, with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

_"Unfortunately, we might not have the necessary time. I can't possibly teach you in days what I have learnt in years. Besides, you need to establish a strong mental connection with a dragon, if you want to control and command them. This is the hardest task."_

_It would be a lie if he said he is not disappointed, but he refuses to lose hope. "You know better, I suppose. But, if we survive through this, you have to teach me. I am a Targaryen, after all. Aren't I?"_

_Her smile is faint, but it is there. "Yes. Yes, you are."_

* * *

Sighing, Jon grabs Longclaw and exits his room, heading for the training yard. It's not just Daenerys' refusal to teach him how to ride a dragon. It's her whole behavior since their arrival. While she is not rude or unpleasant, she is nothing like the warm, welcoming Queen he met at King's Landing. The genuine kindness has been replaced by coldness and formality. Whenever she has to interact with the Lords, apart from Lord Manderly and Lady Mormont, she looks like she has smelled something foul.

_Come to think of it, they weren't very welcoming either..._

In vast contrast with the Lords' behavior, the common people seem to like her. The initial mistrust quickly gave its place to admiration and a reluctant respect. Daenerys never avoided the Northmen. She trains with them, she even makes small talk with women and children, the latter always excited to ask her about her dragons and her journeys in Essos. She is always polite and warm with the children, but with the adults, not so much.

_She doesn't seem to like my family, either... Gods damn you, Sansa. You and your big mouth._

Apart from taking Arya with her to meet her dragons one day, Daenerys hasn't showed much interest to interact with his family, either. Sansa's discourtesy from their very first meeting and their private meeting afterwards were enough for the young Queen to dislike his sister.

* * *

Huffing in frustration, Jon finally arrives in the training yard, trying very hard not to scowl at the memory of his conversation with Sansa, after he found out how her meeting with the Queen unfolded.

_"Seriously, Sansa? She has just set her foot here and the first thing you do is question her motives and beg money for a kingdom she doesn't rule?!"_

_She doesn't seem to have understood how rudely she behaved, lifting her chin in the air, much like her late mother. "I have to know her intentions. She is a Targaryen. We can't trust them. Her father burnt our uncle and our grandfather alive. Who says she isn't like him? Besides, I didn't beg for money. I simply asked for..."_

_"Yeah, because asking for a massive loan for the North to pay the Iron Bank doesn't count as begging." He doesn't bother to hide the sarcasm from his voice._

_"If she is smart, she won't let the North starve."_

_"And she won't. She told you so. She will reduce the taxes for some years. She has also promised me she will give us grain from the Reach and seeds to rebuild the glass gardens. What else do you expect from her? Do you really think the Lords will beg for help? If anything, they have proved they are stubborn and proud. They would rather starve themselves and their people than admit they need help. She knows that. We barely managed to convince them to evacuate their castles and send their people south, for Gods' sake! If your great plan is to go to King's Landing and make the Lords grovel at her feet, let me inform you it won't work."_

_"That it won't. I don't know why, but she doesn't want the North under her dominion. She firmly believes we have nothing to offer, to her or to Westeros."_

_"Is this far from the truth? The North never bothered to establish strong trade connections. We have remained by ourselves for many centuries, Sansa. Up until now, it has worked fine. But the world changes. Daenerys' empire is more than Westeros. And we all know that Essos has some of the richest cities in the known world. In our current state, we can't rival the Essosi in matters of trade. Don't forget she has her own kingdoms to take care of. Cersei didn't give a fuck about the people, or the loans she took from the Iron Bank. The Queen has to deal with all of these matters, and quickly."_

_"North or not, I still don't trust her. Only a few Targaryen kings were kind to the North."_

_Jon starts losing his patience. "For fuck's sake, Sansa! She has brought thirteen dragons and 120,000 men! She has allowed us to mine dragonglass from the caves of Dragonstone, and her priests are making Valyrian Steel swords. What else does she have to do to earn your trust?"_

_She doesn't answer, and the silence irritates him ever more._

_"You have spent far too much time with Cersei and Littlefinger, sister. You are slowly becoming like them." Her eyes widen and she opens her mouth to say something, but he cuts her off. "Change your ways before it's too late. Stop thinking like them. Because in the end, you will have the same fate. You will be left alone. And a lone wolf is a defenseless one."_

_Without another word, he gets out of Sansa's room. But her words of hatred can't leave his mind._

** _She is a Targaryen. We can't trust them._ **

_"What would you do, Sansa?" he murmurs to himself. "What would you do if you ever learnt I am one, too?"_

* * *

And yet, when he grabs his training sword, the scowl he fought so hard finds its way on his lips.

Daenerys is training with Willas today. The royal couple of the Six Kingdoms and Essos are not exactly fighting with each other. It's more like a dance with swords, a dance between lovers.

He can't bring himself to start fighting with someone. Instead he stands nearby, watching the King and Queen fighting, halting and then resuming their fight, all the while never looking at anyone else. When they are done, Daenerys lets out a laugh and hugs her husband, kissing him softly on the lips.

The sting of jealousy that has been plaguing him for the past few months is now eating his heart and soul. He can't deny it anymore; he is in love with the Queen.

_You are such an idiot. She is happy with him. Why would she ever turn her head to notice you?_

Davos' voice gets him out of his misery. "Are you going to start training, Your Grace? Perhaps you simply want to stand here and glare at King Willas."

He huffs in anger but does his best to remain polite. "I won't train today, Ser Davos. I suddenly feel the need to vomit from all these vulgar displays of affection."

Davos' low laughter follows him as he throws his sword on the ground and leaves the training yard. "Oh, by the Gods. You are in deep shit, lad."

* * *

Just when he thought his day couldn't become worse, Arya informs them that Bran wants to meet them all in the Great Hall.

Everyone holds their breaths as Bran takes his seat next to Jon, waiting for the worst news possible.

"The Night King has breached the Wall with his army. He found the Horn of Winter somewhere near Castle Black and used it. The dark magic of the horn destroyed the barriers of the Wall. He is marching towards Winterfell."

Gasps resonate through the walls of the castle, and everyone starts talking at the same time, others remaining calm, others shouting with anger and fear.

After a while, Jaime Lannister finds his voice and addresses Bran. "Can you estimate in how many days he will arrive?"

Bran looks at him with a blank expression, but for the first time since he has returned, Jon sees something dark flashing in his brother's eyes.

_It's as if he... As if he is fine with this. As if he is waiting for the Night King to come._

"We have three days. He will have reached the outskirts of Winterfell until then."

"Then we must waste no time." Daenerys' voice, resolute and firm, covers any other voice in the Hall. "We have to prepare our armies and ensure every soldier has a weapon with dragonglass or a Valyrian Steel sword."

Jon nods his agreement. "The last of those who can't fight must leave until tomorrow noon. There is enough time to reach White Harbor, but still. We can't risk it."

The Lords simply nod, like they are in a trance and can't believe the enemy is actually approaching. After some seconds, they hastily leave the Great Hall.

* * *

Three days later, the night has fallen and the Night King hasn't showed up yet. But Jon knows better. He knows the sinister ways of his greatest enemy.

The combined armies have already lined up outside the castle, waiting for the army of the undead. He has yet to join them, because Daenerys is nowhere to be found.

On his way to the Queen's chambers, Kinvara suddenly appears in front of him.

He bows hastily. "Your Holiness. You have to excuse me, but we have no time. I must find Queen Daenerys."

The priestess sighs and makes no move to leave. "We still have some time before the Great Other arrives. You have to know some things. So you will be prepared this time around and won't be fooled by those who seem to be your allies and your family."

"I... I am afraid I don't understand, Your Holiness."

Before he can say anything else, Kinvara puts her thumb right on the centre of his forehead, her eyes blazing and turning to a bright gold colour. "See for yourself, Jon Targaryen. See how the world treated you in your past life."

* * *

_There is a whirlwind of memories. Nothing too detailed, but everything is clear. So painfully clear._

_He stands by, a mere observer, unable to do anything, to say anything. To reverse the horrible things that are unfolding in front of him._

_Meeting Daenerys in Dragonstone..._

_Her eyes, soft and pleading, begging him not to go beyond the Wall for the wight..._

_Her look of utter desperation when she is forced to leave him drown in the lake of ice..._

_Her promise to help him defeat the Night King, her initial refusal to accept his bending the knee..._

_Their first night together on that ship. How he felt he had found his home, for the first time in his life..._

_Their arrival at Winterfell. The North's coldness, his siblings' hatred, without even bothering to get to know the woman who had come to save them all._

_How he left her all alone, how he disappointed her at every corner, at the moments when she needed him the most. How everyone drove them apart, from his brother and his best friend to his sisters and the Lords._

_How Daenerys disappointed him as well, viewing him as a threat in the beginning. But always coming back to him. Trying to bridge the gap between them..._

_How she gradually lost all hope, along with the most important people in her life. How her advisors betrayed her and plotted behind her back. How his own family betrayed him. Sansa's plans, Bran's smirk of satisfaction when he revealed his true heritage to his sisters. _

_Bran being the vessel of the Great Other, initiating the events that would eventually destroy the last Targaryens._

_Daenerys' look of pain after she lost Missandei and Rhaegal..._

_The cold, emotionless look she gave him after he rejected her for the last time. **Let it be fear.**_

_King's Landing in flames. Women, children, Lannister soldiers burnt alive..._

_Daenerys' speech about conquering the rest of the world with fire and blood._

_Their last conversation. The hope and love in her eyes, even after all the times he betrayed her. **Rule with me. **_

_Kissing her._

_Driving the dagger into her heart._

_Blood pouring from her mouth and nose. A lone tear escaping her purple eyes._

_Drogon burning the Iron Throne._

_Daenerys travelling back in time, along with all of them. Deciding to cut him off from her life and their daughter's, to protect Saraphine at all costs..._

_Saraphine, growing in her mother's belly, developing her powers as the first firebender born in centuries..._

_Kinvara using Saraphine's blood and Dark Sister to create the Lightbringer for Daenerys._

* * *

When the onslaught of memories finally ends, Jon collapses on the ground, great sobs leaving his chest. Kinvara is still there with him, holding him tight and soothing his heart with her powers.

"Daenerys is in the crypts. She is talking to your dead family. Perhaps you should go and meet her. The army of the dead will soon arrive."

* * *

He has no idea how he managed to do it, but his feet have carried him down the crypts. Daenerys is there alone, talking to the statues.

"I love your son, Lyanna. I love him as much as I love our daughter. And I swear you this, I will do everything in my power to keep him safe. Even if he never loved me, I will. No one will ever replace him in my heart." She makes a small pause and sniffs, and Jon realises she is crying.

He doesn't dare to interrupt her. Not when her words feel like taking a dagger in his heart for the second time.

_Even if he never loved me... But I did. I still do. I will always love you. I loved you and I failed you._

_I am so sorry._

Dany wipes the tears off her eyes and continues. "I swear to you and Eddard, I never meant to harm him or his family. Even after all their betrayals, all the backstabbing, I would never hurt his siblings. He feared I would kill them if they refused to bend the knee, but I would never hurt him in such a way. And if they don't seek to hurt me or my child this time, I won't either. But I can't allow him to become a part of my life again. If I let him in, if I give in... No, I can't. I will always love him. But I don't trust him. I **can't **trust him anymore. Not after what he did. I deserved... I deserved to die after what I did in King's Landing. But I can't trust the man who killed me in cold blood. Who used me and then threw me away, like I was a whore he got bored to fuck. Forgive me, Lyanna. Forgive me, Lord Eddard. Your son has no place beside me, or our child. It's better like this. It's better if he never learns the truth."

_I don't trust him. I **can't **trust him anymore. Not after what he did. I can't trust the man who killed me in cold blood. Who used me and then threw me away, like I was a whore he got bored to fuck. _

_Your son has no place beside me, or our child._

He can't bear to hear more. With three big strides, he grabs Dany's arm and turns her around to face him in one single motion.

Her eyes widen in surprise and fear, as she sees his expression. Gods only know how he must look. "Jon! What...What are you doing here?..."

"I loved you." he whispers. "I still love you. You meant the world to me. You _are _my world. You were never a simple fuck. And you have no idea how I felt when I slid that damned dagger into your heart. You have no idea how empty you left me, how I begged Drogon to burn me with that damn Throne you loved so much!"

All colour leaves her face, and her voice turns to ice. "So you were sitting behind me all this time, listening. And you have all your memories back. That's interesting. Your dear brother has something to do with this, I suppose?"

"No, he doesn't. Kinvara showed me our past. And if we survive tonight, we have a serious conversation to do, Daenerys Stormborn."

She escapes his hold, her eyes burning with rage. "We have nothing to talk about. I owe you nothing, Snow. In fact, _you_ owe me. My life, and our daughter's. You are in no position to make demands, let alone preach morality! You..."

Before she has the chance to finish her sentence, a loud blow from a horn reverberates in the crypts.

Two blows.

Three blows.

Their eyes widen and they look each other with horror for a single moment.

Then, they run.


	13. JON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle for the Dawn.

He has a strange feeling of repetition as he stands with Dany outside the gates, in front of their armies.

_Our past life..._

It almost seems like a lie, but it isn't. They messed up so badly in their previous lifetime, but the Lord of the Light turned back time and gave them a second chance.

He doesn't know if he should be happy or despondent about it.

Especially now that he has all of his memories back.

At the same time, nothing is exactly the same. Dany stands beside him in full war rampage. Her breastplate, adorned with rubies and onyx, shines in the absolute darkness, and the Lightbringer rests on her right side. Her hair is pulled upwards in a tight bun, no braids included.

_Who would have thought... She was the Azor Ahai, through our daughter's magic..._

And nothing is the same because she hasn't spoken a single word to him after they got out of the crypts. She simply stands there, colder and more expressionless than ever. But also, more determined than ever before.

"I will finish him properly this time, Jon." Her voice carries the fire of all her dragons combined. "It's not just my life at stake anymore. I have to do this for Saraphine. For my people in the Six Kingdoms." She abruptly turns and looks him dead in the eye. "I don't care if I have to stab just him in the chest, or stab the monster that poses as your brother, or both. I will kill the Great Other, whatever it takes."

His heart constricts painfully in his chest when Daenerys talks about Bran with such hatred. But then he remembers what he did to them in their previous life, how he set the chain of events to kill the woman he loved and the child in her belly.

_He is not your brother anymore. Your brother was lost forever somewhere beyond the Wall. This is just an imposter._

Jon nods in agreement. "Whatever it takes. We are together in this."

Daenerys only looks at the sky. Seconds later, a loud screech echoes. "Perhaps you should step back. I have called Drogon to come."

The magnificent creature lands beside them, nostrils flaring with red flames. He certainly seems eager to go into battle.

_At least one of us will enjoy it..._

Before Dany sets foot on Drogon's wing, he grabs her by her arm. "Be careful up there." His voice comes out choked, weak. "And when you finally get down, try to find me. I will protect you, kill the Night King if it comes to that."

Her purple eyes soften for a moment, before they turn cold again. "Right. Because you seemed so devastated by my death when you found your old friends beyond the Wall. When you laughed with Tormund and played with Ghost."

His hold on her slackens, his guilt can't let him think of a proper response. "Dany, please. Don't..."

It's too late. Taking advantage of his momentary weakness, she escapes his hold and quickly climbs on Drogon. The great beast lifts himself off the ground and up to the skies, meeting his other siblings that greet him and their mother with deafening screeches.

_She may die... She may die, and the last thing we ever did was fight._

Silent, Jon walks back to their armies.

* * *

No matter how many times he has faced the army of the dead, he can't control the shiver that goes through his spine, the knot that forms in his stomach.

The crippling fear he will eventually lose and become one of them.

The men at his sides are in no better condition either. Everyone tries their best to hide their fear, but Jon can see it. The eyes never lie. 

Jaime Lannister stands on his right, with Ser Jorah and Willas. Daario Naharis, Gendry and Grey Worm are on his left.

All of them waiting for the first move by the wights. That's what Dany commanded them, and he agreed.

With unwordly screeches, the wights and some of the White Walkers march towards them. Soon enough, they step into the shallow traps filled with wildfire.

The very moment they fall into the trap, all thirteen dragons fly above them, raining fire exactly where the lethal green liquid was poured.

If they weren't fighting for their lives, this would be a magnificent sight to behold. Every dragon has its own colour of flames. Drogon's red is unmistakable, but so is Rhaegal's green mixed with yellow, and Viserion's pure gold. Red, green, gold, blue, orange, mauve mix with the green of the wildfire, creating gorgeous combinations.

And killing more than half of the undead in the process. Many of them manage to come out unscathed, though, along with most of the Walkers, and keep marching towards them.

After they have overcome the intitial shock, Jon gives the signal. "For the living!"

* * *

The battle is easier than it had been in his previous life. Due to his and Dany's more careful plans, most of the wights are eliminated within an hour. The White Walkers that commanded them have no time to resurrect other corpses, both due to the dragons constantly raining fire everywhere and the abundance of Valyrian Steel swords. Unlike in the past, no wight or Walker has the chance to reach the gates. The Dothraki have also proved their worth, their flaming arrows endlessly piercing the wights.

Everyone is fighting fiercely, with what he can only describe as rabid vehemence. Jaime hasn't left his side, proving why he is considered one of the best swordsmen alive. Jorah and Gendry are also formidable, and Naharis is as efficient as every Essosi mercenary.

Suddenly, Jon sees a figure, different from the others in height and posture, slowly approaching them. His fears are soon confirmed when the figure comes closer.

_The Night King._

It may be his idea, but the monster seems furious as he is looking around at his decimated army. It might be the first time he doesn't look so assured about the outcome of a battle.

_We have hope. If we managed to kill him last time, we still can._

Just about when the Night King is meters away from them, Drogon flies above and screeches furiously. In a blur, the dragon quickly lets Daenerys off him and flies away, before any White Walker or wight can climb on him, all the while being flanked by Rhaegal and three other dragons.

Startled, the monster turns around, but Daenerys, being much more agile, has already reached him first. In one swift motion, she unseathes Lightbringer. In front of everyone's astounded eyes, the legendary sword emits bright red flames.

_Red. The colour of the Lord of the Light. The colour of fire, of Saraphine's blood._

Daenerys' sword clashes with the Night King's sword of ice. The battle is hard, none of them relenting.

But after a while, Daenerys makes a mistake. She doesn't have his own experience, she hasn't fought like he has. 

In front of Jon's horrified eyes, the Night King knocks Lightbringer away and lifts Dany from the ground with one hand, trying to choke her to death.

_No. No, you won't. I won't let you._

Exploiting the fact that his enemy has his back turned on him, Jon runs and falls on him, startling him and freeing Dany from his grip, who is gasping for air and trying to retrieve her sword. The monster turns furiously to face him and throws a punch straight on his nose.

He feels the pain coursing through him, but he doesn't pay attention. He can't. Dany has stood on her feet again, but he has to distract the monster for as long as he can.

With a scream full of rage, the Night King marches towards him and attacks with his sword. Jon repels the blow, and all the others that follow.

* * *

Suddenly, the Night King drops his sword, his blue eyes widening.

Jon doesn't understand immediately what has happened. Until he notices it.

The Lightbringer juts out from his chest and a thick black liquid flows rapidly from the burning hole in what used to be his heart.

He doesn't dissolve in ice shards this time. Instead, he merely collapses on the ground, revealing a tearful Dany behind him.

Dropping Longclaw on the ground, Jon rushes to Dany and hugs her. This time, she doesn't try to leave.

He kisses her hair, he inhales her sweet scent, now mixed with smoke. "Thank the Gods."he croaks. "We made it."

"Jon..." she whispers, her voice trembling with her tears, and points behind him with a shaking finger. "Jon, look..."

When he looks at the corpse of the Night King, his heart stops. The monster has turned into a man.

Black straight hair, deep brown eyes, pale skin. And bright red blood is pouring from his heart.

_Robard Stark. That... was that him all along?_

Too shocked to say anything, he stays rooted on the spot, staring at the man that looks exactly like him. It seems he hasn't died yet; not the human Robard, at least.

Dany falls on her knees and takes Robard's hand in her own, squeezing it softly. "Robard... Robard, is that you?"

The man blinks twice, before his face breaks into a small grin. "If I didn't know better...I would say... you are my Daenys. But that...that can not be..." He coughs blood as he tries to speak. "She is gone. She is far, far away from me. But now... now I can meet her again..."

"Don't speak. We know everything. Please, rest..."

"There...there is no time..." Another fit of cough interrupts the dying man, before he speaks again. "He hasn't died yet. The monster that lived inside me, he isn't dead yet. He has just gone to another body... Another Stark."

Jon sighs as he crouches down at Robard's side. "We know. We will find a way to kill him once and for all. Don't worry."

The man seems relieved and gives them a weak smile. "I will go and find them. My Daenys and my Shaera. They have been waiting... for so... so long...Just,please... Don't... Don't bury me in the crypts of Winterfell. It's cold down there. Burn me...Take my ashes to Volantis...The priests will know...what to do..."

Dany can't hold back her sobs anymore, her tears staining Robard's pale face. "Don't you worry. Go find them. Your torture has ended. Rest in peace, Robard Stark."

"You sound so much like my Daenys...She used...to sing... Love me as much as you can...As much as you can..."

And with a last ragged breath, Robard Stark dies after a millenium of servitude and pain.

* * *

He doesn't really know for how long they have stayed there, Dany cradling Robard's body in her arms and refusing to leave him alone. But they have to go. They are both injured, cold, exhausted.

His voice is gentle as he shakes her shoulder. "Dany...We should go."

"We can't leave him here, Jon." She is still crying, her hair is disheveled, her neck still has the mark on the spot where Robard had gripped her, but she has never looked more beautiful in his eyes. "We promised."

"We can put him on a horse and burn him with the rest of the fallen. No one needs to know the truth. Come on. Let's go."

Reluctantly, Dany leaves Robard and Jon lifts him on his shoulders. They tie him on the first horse they find and take a deep breath.

"Let's go and find our people."

Dany merely nods and walks ahead of him, Lightbringer still in hand. He stays a little behind, trying to process all of the heartbreaking truths he was exposed to in one night.

And yet somehow, somewhere, he can hear Daenys and Robard, laughing and singing with voices that sound exactly like Dany's and his own. Finally together, finally happy.

** _Love me as much as you can_ **

** _As much as you can..._ **


	14. JON

This time, his speech is significantly shorter.

Still dazed and devastated from all the revelations and his best friends' deaths, he doesn't find the courage to deliver a grand speech. He tries to remain as humble as possible, thanking both the living and the dead for their sacrifices.

Among the corpses, he found Ed again. He doesn't know what happened to Sam and his family, but, considering he now knows Daenerys sent them to the Wall, they must have become wights and been destroyed when she killed the Night King.

He doesn't really know how he is supposed to feel. He will never forgive Sam for revealing to him his true identity in that past life, just for his own selfish reasons. Just to take revenge for a man he claimed he never loved.

_Now that you have a second chance, everything will become clear, Jon. But it will also hurt more. For now you know your true friends and enemies._

Kinvara's words resound deep within him, as he lights his torch and and sets fire to the dead. Beside him, a tearful Daenerys pays homage to her own dead, before she sets fire to the pyre too.

Their losses are much less this time. But not less important. He still lost Ed, and Daenerys lost Daario and Willas.

His heart bleeds for her as he realises that, in this life and the last, she is still the one who paid the heaviest price. 

Sighing to himself, he takes a last look at the body that lays before him. Robard Stark. Just like they had promised, Jon and Dany will keep his ashes and take them to Volantis. But not after they have trully got rid of the Great Other.

Who now resides inside his lost brother's body.

* * *

Even the feast is different, al least in Jon's eyes. They haven't lost so many people, they have won easier.

And the heroes of the battle are Jon and Daenerys, not Arya.

_Everything is already different._

He prefers to sit at the big table with Daenerys this time, although she hasn't showed up yet. He hoped to talk to her after they secretly took Robard's ashes with Kinvara's help, but she hastily disappeared in her rooms, saying she needed time and space to mourn for her husband.

A sting of jealousy courses through him as he realises how important Willas was in Dany's life. She hadn't loved him, but Jon is certain she would love him eventually. Willas was a good man and King.

_Perhaps they were perfect for each other. Perhaps we are not meant to be, neither in this life nor in any other._

After some hour, Daenerys finally appears, and everyone stops talking at the sight, with some gasps echoing in the Hall.

Unlike their previous lifetime, she is wearing a black dress. Her eyes are sad and hollow, and Ser Jorah and Grey Worm are gathered protectively around her. But it's not her choice of outfit, or the obvious sadness.

Her long silver hair, the hair he had so loved, the hair he now knows he may never be able to caress again, are cut short, much like Arya's, almost at shoulder length. At first he is stunned, but then he remembers something from their time at her ship in their previous life.

_"Dothraki cut their braids completely when they suffer a major defeat at the battlefield. It is a sign of shame, but also of lament, if they have lost a beloved one."_

_She did it for Willas. She mourns for him._

Worldlessly, Daenerys takes her place beside him. She doesn't sit immediately. Instead, she takes a deep breath and adresses their people.

"Today, we celebrate, but we also mourn. We mourn, we wish we had died with our beloved ones. But we celebrate, for life defeated death, for fire defeated ice. We celebrate, for yesterday we made the impossible happen. We proved that, together, we can achieve a great many things. We got past our differences and showed to the world that the wolf and the dragon are no longer enemies, but allies. We proved, my Lords, that unity is the only way to prosperity. So, here we stand. Different, yet so similar. Westeros and Essos, the North and the Six Kingdoms. Together, we have found power. I drink to this. I drink to our great warriors, I drink to our selfless dead, and I drink to a long and fruitful alliance of our lands. To the North, to Westeros, to Essos."

Jon stands beside her and raises his still untouched cup. "To the North, to Westeros, to Essos."

"TO THE NORTH! TO WESTEROS! TO ESSOS!"

* * *

The feast goes on, the Lords speaking amicably to one another and occassionally turning their gazes to the Queen, with eyes full of admiration. Almost everyone saw how Jon and Daenerys fought the Night King, and Jon is certain no one will ever forget the sight of Daenerys climbing off Drogon and unseathing the Lightbringer.

Warmth spreads inside him, as he thinks of how the sword was created.

_Saraphine._

Tormund's boisterous voice interrupts his recalling of the few, yet happy memories he has of his daughter. "Oi, Snow! Dragon Queen! Don't you want to tell us how you defeated that monster? There are some here that didn't see you!"

"I'm certain they would love to hear the story, Tormund, but let them rest and celebrate. We have had a very rough night." Daenerys's voice is calm and kind, yet it has a certain edge to it. Almost as if she is warning his friend to stop talking.

Undeterred in his drunken state, Tormund goes to them and grabs Jon by his shoulders. " You should have seen them, Southerners! Just when the fucker was ready to approach us, here she comes! The Dragon Queen, on that great black beast of hers! And her sword is on fire! ON FIRE, I TELL YOU! But after a while, he managed to grab her by the neck..." Stumbling a little, he looks at Daenerys with awe. "How did you survive this? Whoever he touched, was doomed! They all became wights. Why couldn't he do this to you?"

Daenerys gives him a small smile. "I am fire made flesh, Tormund. The Night King wasn't the only one with magic in his veins. He could have never transformed me."

"It certainly looked painful as hell. Being choked like this..."

"I don't know, Tormund." Her voice is low now, her gaze fixed at Jon. Her purple eyes are burning. "Personally, I think it's far worse being stabbed in the heart."

Tormund chokes on his ale. "Wha... what do you mean?"

"Oh, just ask your friend. He has both suffered it **and **done it. Am I right, Your Grace?"

Jon doesn't have an answer. This isn't enough to deter his friend ,who doesn't even try to hide his admiration anymore. "Well, that's a woman worth fighting for. I can't speak for the rest of my people, but I can speak for myself." He extends his hand towards the Queen. "My life and my sword are yours, Daenerys Targaryen. Whenever you need help, I, Tormund Giantsbane, will come to your aid."

Daenerys's sad gaze softens a little as she takes his proffered handand shakes it. "Thank you, Tormund. I accept your offer."

The Lords have heard the whole conversation, their eyes firmly on the petite Queen. None of them seems hostile anymore.

"The nomad is right.", Lord Manderly intervenes. "I saw Her Grace with my eyes. Both Their Graces, to be exact. They fought with bravery. And they saved us all."

Lady Lyanna Mormont stands up, raising her cup. He is so glad she survived this time. "To the King of the North and the Dragon Queen! Long may they reign!"

"LONG MAY THEY REIGN!"

Jon politely accepts their toast, but he can see that Daenerys has become restless with all the attention. She stands up abruptly. "Excuse me, my Lords. The day has been most tiresome. I need to rest. Enjoy your evening." With one last glance at Jon, she leaves.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she hates you.", Tormund whispers in his ear. "By the Gods, Snow, what have you done to her? She looked like she was ready to strangle you."

Jon offers his best- and now only- friend a last smile before he too leaves the Great Hall, following Daenerys to her chambers. His heart is bleeding once again.

"Because I deserve it. Whatever pain and punishment I befall at her hands, I deserve."

* * *

When he enters her room, he finds her staring at the fire, with her back turned to him. 

"I wanted to cut them off completely, like Cersei.", she speaks before he can do it first. "When I saw Willas among the dead, I wanted to cut all of my hair, but Missandei stopped me. Eventually, I just took Lightbringer and cut them in one move. I haven't seen Ser Jorah or my bloodriders so stunned before. Qhono still thinks I have lost my mind, the Dothraki are celebrating the victory against the Ice Demon as the greatest victory in their history. Maybe I am the stupid one."

Jon takes a closer look at her hair. Indeed, they seem badly cut at their ends, and burnt. He hesitates to speak, afraid that someone might be secretly watching them.

As if reading his thoughts, Daenerys looks at the ceiling. "Speak freely. Kinvara protects both of us with magic and with my necklace."

He sighs with relief. "You are not stupid. You lost your husband, and a friend. I am sorry, for both Willas and Daario."

Daenerys seems to be still in her own world. "They both loved me. Daario's love was never genuine, I believe. He only loved me because I was Daenerys Stormborn, the Mother of Dragons. But Willas..." Her eyes water, shining with the fire of the hearth. "Willas was a good man. Loyal to a fault, brave. He loved Saraphine, he even recognised her as his own. He was more than his limp leg, more than a man who loved his horses. But he didn't have the time to show it to the world. It would have been so easy to love him. If only we had had more time... I would have loved him." Suddenly, she turns towards him, her eyes burning with rage. "And yet, not as much as I loved the biggest traitor that is my daughter's father."

He feels his own rage and pain burning inside him. "Do you really blame me for what I did? You know the truth, Daenerys. You know how Bran manipulated us, that our decisions weren't really ours. You know that he had been controlling our minds during the sack of King's Landing. I didn't want to kill you, and you didn't want to burn the city. Kinvara told us so. Why are you treating me like this?"

"I don't blame you for killing me. In fact, I don't blame you for anything you did. I blame you for everything you didn't do."

"Did you expect me to fall in bed with you after I had just discovered we are related? I needed time! My whole world had collapsed, my own identity!"

"I didn't want you to fall in bed with me. I only wanted you to comfort me. I had seen Viserion dying again. I had cried with Ser Jorah's dead body in my arms. I had seen Missandei's head falling off her head. All I ever wanted, was a proof I wasn't alone in this wretched wasteland. But I have other reasons to hate you, Jon, you know I have."

"What reasons?"

"Let's start with how you claim your honour is the most important thing to you and yet, when we arrived, you lied to the Lords and Sansa. Instead of telling them the truth about you bending the knee, you chose to tell them I forced you to give me the North. Very conveniently forgetting to also tell them I lost one of my children to save their stupid King from certain death."

He grits his teeth, but he knows she is right. "And what did you expect me to do? If I had told them the truth, they would have thought me as weak."

She laughs bitterly. "And here he is. The bastard. The boy who always seeked acceptance from the Lords who scorned him. If their reaction scared you so much, then perhaps you shouldn't have bent the knee at all. I had already promised you I would help you defeat the undead. But since you did, you were still their Warden. You should have made them understand they owed me at least respect. I didn't expect open arms and celebrations with my arrival, I knew the bad history between the North and the Targaryens. All I wanted was respect. And you were unable to at least give me that."

"I admit it, I handled this poorly. But don't pretend you are innocent in this. You are at fault as well. All you had to say when I revealed my identity to you was that I had a better claim to the Throne. We went to battle and all I remembered from the woman I love was the anger in her eyes! Anger, Daenerys, anger towards me! For something I was not to blame!"

"Oh, that's fantastic. We reached that point, didn't we? Your parentage and your non-existent claim to the Throne."

"Non- existent? What do you mean?"

"I mean, that everyone conveniently forgot my father's last will. Mad he might be, but a King's will is the will of the Supreme Governor of the Kingdoms. Aerys disowned Rhaegar and all his offspring, thus making them unable to claim the Throne. The next was Viserys. And since Viserys died, guess who was the only legal successor."

He feels all colour draining from his face. "That means... I... You..."

"I was betrayed and killed for nothing. I died for nothing, your child died for nothing. So that the Great Other could become King. So that darkness could destroy Westeros, once and for all. So that your traitorous family could live... Funny, isn't it? I would have never killed your siblings, as long as they didn't try to harm me. And yet, your beloved sister did all she could to have me killed. Even before I had done anything wrong."

"I know they treated you despicably. They are still my family, though. I loved them, and I still love Arya. Sansa and Bran don't exist for me anymore, but I didn't know the truth back then."

"Am I not your family? Am I not?!"

"Yes, of course you are! And Saraphine too! I didn't see it like this, though! I thought I had to choose! I couldn't accept my true identity, and I am stil struggling with it!"

"You know what, Snow?" She approaches him, standing as close to his face as possible. "I am tired of that shit. Tired of listening Starks bemoaning how important their family, their precious North, their honour, their integrity mean to them. The last of the Starks was Eddard. The last honourable of his House, along with Robb. What honour did your mother have, when she decided to run away with a married man and cause chaos to Westeros? What honour did Sansa have when she revealed your identity to Tyrion? What honour did Arya have when she told you that the woman that helped the North and the whole Westeros to be saved would never become part of her family? What honour did you have, Jon? What honour?"

His eyes water and he tries to take her into his arms. "Dany..."

She turns her back to him again, her voice trembling. With rage or tears, he can't tell. "I hate them. I hate your parents. I thought Viserys was the worst of my brothers. But he only turned mad because of everything we had been through. He got mad because we were constantly on the run, scared for our lives, trying to hide from the assassins of your father's best friend. I had to die to see that Rhaegar was the worst. He abandoned his wife and children and let them get butchered, only to run away with a stupid girl who fell for the beautiful, melancholic prince and worshipped the ground he walked. And they gave birth to the man that became my downfall." Daenerys faces him again, with eyes full of tears and pain. "The man that deceived me in the worst way possible. The man that said he loved me, only so he could use my armies, my dragons and my resources. The man who gave me only scraps of affection, when I gave him my whole heart, my body, my soul. And when he decided these weren't enough, he took the last thing I had to offer. My life. The worst liar and traitor of all of them was you."

He is crying with her now, each one of her words feeling worst than the stabs his sworn brothers at the Wall gave him. "You are wrong! I loved you and I still love you! Please, Daenerys, let us start anew. We have our baby now, we have a brand new chance. Let us heal together, one through the other..."

The mention of their child is what seems to enrage Daenerys the most. "You will stay away from me and my daughter. I will never allow you to approach her again, let alone live with us. I am not the stupid, lovestruck girl you killed."

Jon lets his own anger get the best of him. "You have no right to keep me away from her. She deserves to have a father, to be loved and cherished. Will you condemn her to the fate you had? Who do you think you will punish Daenerys, me or her?"

"She won't need you in her life. I'll make sure of this."

"Maybe it is you who doesn't love me anymore, then."

"I love you." Her voice is crystal clear, steady and sure, and he feels these three words wrapping him like a warm blanket. "I will love you until the day I die. But I can't trust you. You've made it impossible. _You_ wrote our story, Jon. _You _made all the choices, not me."

She straightens her posture, her eyes turning cold and unreadable. "I have nothing else to say to you. Goodnight, Your Grace." She gives an order in Valyrian and two of her Unsullied enter the room, along with Grey Worm.

"It's not over, Daenerys.", he warns her. "I won't give up so easily this time. You won't get rid of me. I will fight for us, even if you don't want to fight."

He sees the sadness fill her eyes once again before the door closes with a loud thud. "I wish I could believe you, Jon. Truly I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels so good to be back. Here, the new chapter, dedicated to all of you who sent me messages of encouragement, and to all the IBD patients who have become symbols of courage, who are born fighters like Jon and Daenerys.


	15. JON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a smaller chapter, more of a filler to what's coming next. Enjoy!

They don't talk to each other for three days, exchanging only the necessary pleasantries. It fucking hurts, but he is angry with her, as she is angry with him. 

_She can't keep blaming me for everything. I won't allow it. No matter what she wants, I will prove to her we belong together. I won't let us mess up again._

The God of Light seems to be helping them in every way possible. This time, despite she doesn't have the pressure of taking the Throne, Daenerys has decided to let the troops rest for a month or so before leaving Winterfell and travelling to Dragonstone to retrieve their daughter. After Dragonstone, she will return to King's Landing.

When Jon announced her his decision to travel with her, in the privacy of her rooms, they almost had a big fight again.

_"I told you so before, I am telling you now. I won't give up so easily this time. Try and find something else to get rid of me, Daenerys."_

_"Why should I want to get rid of you? You did it all by yourself spectacularly in the past. I just have to hope you will do it again. All I really need is an excuse to exclude you from our lives."_

_"It's not only about Saraphine and us, can't you see it?! We still have a much bigger problem! The Great Other has merged with the Raven, Robard warned us so before he died. We have to find a way to kill them, Daenerys, for good this time. In that other life, we failed, and we failed because you died with Saraphine inside you. The Great Other would return years later, and there would be no one to stop him."_

_Daenerys shudders. "We don't have another choice, do we?"_

_He sighs in frustration. "No, unfortunately not. Please. All I am asking is to put our differences aside for a while. And who knows. Maybe we will heal our wounds a little."_

* * *

After a whole week of scarcely talking to Dany, Kinvara decides to come to their rescue once again.

"You are brooding too much for this hour of the day, Your Grace."

He scoffs and sits at his desk, preoccupying himself with several documents. "Blame your stubborn Queen for that."

"There is another Targaryen who is equally stubborn, I believe. And it's not our blessed Princess."

Jon sighs and turns to look at the High Priestess, who is smiling sympathetically at him. "Do I really need to narrate you our conversation the night of the feast?"

"Oh, no. I saw everything. It went as well as it did the first time."

"This time, I refuse to sit idly by. I will fight for my love and my child, Your Holiness." 

"And I will help you." Her necklace starts glowing and a light fog fills his vision. "I will show you both some things you ought to know. So that you won't blame each other for the past."

* * *

Two weeks after the Fight for the Dawn and a whole new set of revelations for both of them, Daenerys invites him to a Dothraki celebration at night. He is pleasantly surprised, but seizes the opportunity anyway. 

The feast is beautiful, different from the Westerosi customs, but still beautiful. And yet, he has eyes only for her.

She is dressed like a Dothraki woman, with a short leather top that leaves her abdomen uncovered and matching leather pants with a golden belt. It still pains him to see her short hair, but he is certain she will let them grow again, as a symbol of the Night King's defeat.

All the men and women bow with respect at her and some of the women bring along their babes, to be touched by the Great Khaleesi. She laughs and plays with all of them, until she finally decides to call him in her tent.

Jon follows her inside. For a while, they stare bashfully at each other, not finding the right words to initiate a conversation.

"I'm sorry!", they exclaim at the same time. Their eyes widen and they laugh awkwardly.

"Well, to say I'm sorry seems insufficient.", Dany begins. "Kinvara showed me..."

"Yes, I know. She showed me as well."

'I'm so sorry, Jon. I was unfair to you that night. I only had a bunch of papers in my hands, without knowing their meaning. Or if they legally stood, at all."

"It's fine. I would be angry and hurt if I found them too."

She scoffs in frustration and sits down. "No, it's not fine. I should have checked the facts before hurling insults at you. Or implying I wish you had never been born. Because I don't, Jon. You and Saraphine are the best things that ever happened to me, and I wouldn't even have my daughter without you."

"We both have plenty to apologise for. Don't fret."

They fall into silence again, with Dany breaking it. "My father and my brother... First class idiots."

He lets out a half-bitter, half-amused laugh. "I know, right? Aerys tries to disown Rhaegar and his offspring without the necessary number of witnesses, and Rhaegar tries to dissolve his marriage without Elia's written consent. And was the High Septon that stupid to grant him the annulment?"

Dany takes his hand in hers, and he feels warmth spreading all over his body. It's the first time she willingly touches him. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am. Even if your parents got married, I verified with Grand Maester Lucian that the annulment of the first marriage was legally invalid. You are still an illegitimate child, and I know how much that hurts you."

Jon smiles warmly at her. Her purple eyes are sincere and vulnerable. "You may find it funny... You, Ser Davos and Arya are the only ones who never called me bastard."

Anger flashes in her eyes. "The concept of bastardy is unknown and incomprehensible to me. I refuse to condemn people based on if their parents married or not."

"One of the things I love about you."

She blushes a beautiful shade of rose red, and he can't help but shift closer to her. Her scent of flowers and exotic spices, her bright purple eyes...

Unconsciously, they drift apart before the proximity becomes too much. Jon tucks a stray tuft of her silver hair behind her ear, making her blush even more.

_She still loves me. Thank the Gods._

"You know... I could still legitimize you. Make you a true Targaryen. If that is what you wish, of course. I can make you a Stark."

He already has an answer for that offer.

"In our previous life, I had told Theon he didn't have to choose. That he could be both a Greyjoy and a Stark. Why should the case be different for me? I am both Targaryen and Stark, a dragon and a wolf. I don't have to choose, I don't have to let one side defeat the other... Ultimately, it's who I am."

Her smile is so bright, it makes his heart roar with joy as well. "If I hadn't been so pigheaded in our previous life, this is exactly what I would have told you. I would have tried to make you accept your heritage..." Sadness fills her eyes. "I was selfish. Granted, you messed up pretty badly, but I did as well."

"You weren't selfish. You were afraid for your life. And you were right. Look at where the revelation got us. Which is why we won't reveal the truth this time."

He can tell she is surprised with his decision. "Wha... Are you certain for this? Jon, this is a big decision. Think better, we have all the time in the world now. And I won't press you for anything."

"I've never been more certain in my life. Let them believe I am a Snow. I learnt to carry that weight on my shoulders. But I couldn't bear it if something happened to you or Saraphine because of who I am." His voice breaks. "I lost you once, I won't lose you again."

"Isn't it painful for you anymore? Letting the world call you that vile word, I mean."

"It's not. If it means keeping you and my child safe, it isn't."

"So... About the Great Other and the Raven... Do you have any ideas?"

"I am in the dark, unfortunately, just as you are. So far, we only know that we will use the Lighbringer again. I guess we have to let them come to us. Make the first move. Beyond that... I have no idea."

"We did it once, we will do it again. We will defeat them, Jon, have no doubts."

He smiles and kisses her softly at the cheek. "My fierce dragon."

The rest of the night passes pleasantly, with both of them dancing Dothraki dances. It turns out he is still as bad at dancing as he was at sixteen, but at least he has now found the right partner.

_Both in dancing and in life._

* * *

When a full moon passes, Jon and Daenerys leave for Dragonstone, under the pretext of negotiations for the Northern Independence. Arya insisted she come with them, but Jon didn't let her.

When he bids his goodbyes to his family, he notices Sansa and Bran. Their eyes seem to hide something, something he can't decipher.

Dread fills him suddenly. _Could they possibly have discovered the truth about my parentage? The Raven surely knows it, but Sansa..._

* * *

They arrive at Dragonstone, eager to be reunited with their daughter. 

Their baby girl has grown, she's almost six months. She gurgles happily when she sees them, and he is so happy to see she remembers him. They also discover the child has started displaying some of her firebending abilities, occassionally emitting sparks of red, blue and white fire from her fingertips.

After some days of gradual bonding, playing with their daughter and planning of the Great Other's demise, Kinvara calls them outside the castle, in the Gardens.

"I see you have made some progress. Especially you, Jon, you are learning how to be both a wolf and a dragon. The Lord of the Light has decided to help you once more."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My Queen here had her dragons to show her the way, to show her who she really is and who she was destined to be. However, you didn't have the same luck, to grow with dragons. So, I have another solution for you." She gives him a vial with a clear liquid. "Drink this, my King."

He is reluctant to drink it, but then he remembers how much this woman has helped them.

_This is not Melisandre._

With a small smile of encouragement from Dany, he drinks the concoction. Almost immediately, his vision starts to blur and he eventually sees the world in front of him turning to black.

It's not after a while that he recovers and realises that he had fainted. He tries to get up with a huff, but all he comes out of him is a frightening roar.

_What... What is going on here?!_

Panicked, he tries to get up on his feet, but when he looks down, he is greeted with two giant red legs with talons. He turns around and sees two more giant legs... And a tail.

_No,no no... She didn't..._

He refuses to believe what his eyes show him, until Daenerys's angry shriek pierces his, now oversensitive, ears.

"Did you just turn him into a _**dragon?!**__"_


End file.
